The Big Screen and Hat N' Clogs Fault
by Halloweenomaniac
Summary: Yet another typical characters watches their show fanfic. Ichigo and his friends and family were just having a normal day when they were suddenly transported by a light into an empty room. What will Ichigo and the rest do being stuck in a strange dimension with a bunch of strange characters with swords? And what this about a future and lineage? I do not own any of them or the anime
1. Ch 1 Introduction and Greetings

Ch. 1 Introduction and Greetings

Ichigo was just having a normal day at school watching the going on around in disinterest as Ms. Ochi taught and wrote on the board. He glanced over to see Keigo passed out at his desk, drooling with a textbook sitting up right. Chizuru on the other hand was drooling as she daydreamed about something (probably about groping Orihime again). Ichigo rolled his eyes as he looked over to see Mizuiro sneakily texting on his cell phone and Chad, Tatsuki and Orihime were studiously paying attention at the board. The orange head sighed in boredom as he stared out the window, thunder rumbling. "Looks like it's going to be a boring and rainy day." He muttered under his breath. Just as he said that, lightning flashed getting brighter and brighter every time until it nearly blinded him.

After clearing away the spots, Ichigo was shocked to find that he wasn't in class anymore but in an empty room. Having no idea how he got there, Ichigo inwardly groaned at the situation he was in. "Me and my big mouth." He muttered in annoyance before he heard a yelp and turned to see the room was not so empty after all. In the room with him were some of his classmates, his family, and some weird characters who all looked just as confused as him. There was Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki, Keigo (who was the one who yelped), Mizuiro, and some guy with glasses and wearing the same uniform as them. Ichigo vaguely remembered seeing him in his classes before but he was never good with names or faces. Then there was his dad and sisters, Yuzu and Karin, and the weird characters who had a strange kind of menacing aura around them. He was definitely going to make sure him and his family and classmates stay away from that particular group.

There was a blonde man with a bucket cap on his head and geta shoes ( _I'll call him Hat N 'Clogs_ , Ichigo thought absentmindedly), a black cat, two kids, a buff dark skinned man with glasses and cornrows in his hair ( _he might be taller than Chad_ ), a man with a really creepy smile and a bowl haircut ( _Piano Mouth_ ), a blonde midget girl with blonde pigtails and red track suit ( _Snaggle Tooth_ ), one guy with a star-shaped hairstyle, another with bleached hair and that looked like he'd been in the army, a really weird girl with green hair and an orange and white jumpsuit on, a raven headed girl in a sailor suit, a long-haired blonde musician looking guy, and a really fat man in a green suit and pink hair. What really made him suspicious of them was that most of them carried around katanas. ' _Seriously, who carries around swords around in this day and age?'_ Ichigo thought in exasperation as he went over to his family, keeping a wary eye on them.

"Dad, Yuzu, Karin. You guys alright?"

"Ichigo!" his sisters exclaimed happily, knowing that as long as their big brother was here with them everything would be okay as they ran to him. His father donned a serious look for once on his face as he assessed the situation.

"Holy crap! Where the hell are we? Have we been kidnapped?" Keigo panicked as he ran around the room in a frenzy with his arms flailing around.

Orihime hummed in thought as she considered it a real question. A metaphorical light bulb lit up in her head as she tapped her fist into her palm. "Oh! Why yes, it looks like we've all been kidnapped. Ooh! Better yet, maybe aliens abducted us!" everyone sweat-dropped at the random assumption…well, except Keigo.

"A-aliens…?" he stuttered nervously. Orihime nodded.

"Yeah! It's like that movie I saw where they captured humans who are chosen for their cause to examine mankind. And when they do, they probe them for information before they suck out their brains by using their tentacle like arms. Or ooh, better yet! They cut off the top of their skulls to surgically remove the brain and put them in jars or use them as paperweights! Or they could be used for meals instead." They all stared at her for her cheerful response, as if _she_ was the alien in the room.

Tatsuki shook her head in exasperation as she patted her friend's head. "Orihime, I highly doubt that we're – "

"AAAHHHH! I DON'T WANT MY BRAIN TO BE SUCKED OUT OF MY HEAD AND USED AS A PAPERWEIGHT! SOMEBODY GET US OUT OF HERE! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! HEL – "he was suddenly cut off when Ichigo knocked him on the head so hard, his face slammed into the ground with his butt in the air as a bump grew on his head. Anyone who didn't know Ichigo personally all stared at him dumbfounded.

"There, you better? Now quit whining already." Keigo then suddenly got to his feet as he got in Ichigo's face while clutching his head.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS, ICHIGO?! How the hell are you not panicking right now? We just got abducted by some aliens and got transported to god knows where in the universe, and you're annoyed because I'm WHINING?! We could all die here because some aliens are going to probe us and use our brains as paperweight or eat them for lunch." He then started sobbing anime tears while the orange head just stared at him in annoyance. "WAAHHH! I DON'T WANT MY BRAIN TO BE SUCKED OUT OF MY HEAD AND GET EATEN! I LOVE MY BRAIN! WAAHHH! UGH!" then Tatsuki was the one to cut him off this time as she punched him in the face, causing his nose to bleed. A tick mark appeared on her head as she glared at him in annoyance.

"Quit your whining already! If aliens really did abduct us, I doubt they'll be sucking anything out of that empty head of yours. And even if you did have a brain, it's probably as small as a raisin from the amount of times you actually use it!" Keigo sat in the corner in a fetal position with a depressed aura.

"You don't have to be so mean about it." He pouted. Ichigo rolled his eyes before looking around to see if there was a way out. Other than the people, there was basically nothing in the room. His eyes then spotted a door with a screen embedded into the wall. Seeing everyone just talking to each other in whispering tones, he took the initiative and walked over to the door causing everyone to stop what they were doing and watch him. Ichigo stepped up to the screen and studied it. He tapped the glass with a finger and it lit up. Green letters appeared on the screen and he read it out loud.

"'Please scan handprint to open door. There will be an explanation once you step inside.'…Seriously?" Ichigo looked back at the others, wondering what to do. Some just shrugged looking just as unsure as he was. The teen looked from the screen to his hand before shrugging. What could hurt? He put his hand against the screen and it scanned before it beeped in confirmation. The door slid open on command and Ichigo took a look inside, only seeing a dark room. He turned back to the group with a confused expression. "…Uh, I guess we go in?" with that said they all followed his lead and stepped inside before the door closed behind them.

It was pitch black for a second before, suddenly, another door opened and in came some more strange characters whom also had swords and in black kimonos. Some even had white haoris on. The strange characters in Ichigo's group along with one of his classmates and dad ( _Huh?_ ) all tensed up in a defensive position while the other group tensed in also a ready position or stared in shock. Before a fight could break out, a holographic projector turned on in front of them.

 ** _BUZZ!_**

 ** _The first thing on the screen to show up was a big gray eye with pale skin surrounding it._**

"What the hell?"

 ** _"Hello? Is this thing on?" said Kisuke's voice as it came out of the speakers._**

"Huh? Hey, it's me!" exclaimed Hat N 'Clogs in both amazement and confusion.

"Wait a second, so this is your fault why we're all in this mess!" Ichigo accused in anger. The Soul Reaper in hiding held up his hands in innocence and shook his head vehemently as everyone glared at him.

"No really, I swear I didn't do this! At least I don't think I did?"

"What do you mean you think, huh?!" The blonde midget yelled suspiciously. "If this is one of your hair brained schemes again I swear you're gonna regret it, ya hear me?"

Hat N 'Clogs (who is now called Kisuke) sighed as he brought his hat over his eyes. "I assure you all, if I did do this I don't remember any of it. Besides, why would I do this to myself as well?" he had a point, why _would_ he do this to himself as well?

 ** _"Hmm…" the eye then backed off showing Kisuke in a green and white striped hat with a black haori and a green shirt underneath. "Yoruichi, are you sure this is on?" the camera then turned, showing Yoruichi's face._**

 ** _Yoruichi looked into the lens, closing in on her eye. "I think so? The red light is blinking so it's clearly recording."_**

"La-Lady Yoruichi…?" Said a raven headed midget in a white haori as she stared in shock.

"Hmm, it seems I'm there as well." Said a deep voice.

"Huh?" said Ichigo as he looked around for the voice.

"Down here." The teen looked down to see the black cat staring up at him. "…Hi there."

There was a dramatic pause before Ichigo and his friends and sisters exclaimed in shock. "WHAT THE HELL?!" "Cool! A talking cat!" "Wow! Are you an alien?" were the responses.

"Wait a second, how the hell can you talk?" the cat chuckled.

"Well, since I can talk it's obvious that I'm not an actual cat. See, that woman up there is actually me when I'm not in this form."

"O…kay? But how come your voice is so deep?" Yoruichi tilted her head in amusement.

"Cat's don't talk." Was her only explanation causing the orange head to narrow his eyes at her in annoyance while the rest of his friends just stared blankly.

"Lady Yoruichi!" the shapeshifter looked over to the woman and stated calmly to her.

"Why don't we talk later, Sui-Feng. After we figure out what is going on first." Before Sui-Feng could respond the video started up again.

 ** _"Alright, turn the camera to me!" Yoruichi then turned the camera, facing it to Kisuke who appeared on the screen almost at full height. His cane in one hand and his fan in the other, the background showing that he was in a Shinto style living room._**

 ** _BUZZ!_**

 ** _"We going? You in position?"_**

 ** _"Yeah, go ahead." She answered, giving him a thumbs up on the screen. "Annnd action!" She giggled. "I've always wanted to say that!"_**

 ** _"Yoruichi!"_**

 ** _"Oh, right! Annnd go!"_**

 ** _"Thank you." Urahara cleared his throat before grinning with his fan out. "~ HELLOOO EVERYONE! ~"_**

"Seriously?" said Ichigo, voicing out what most of the occupants in the room were thinking.

 ** _"If you're watching this, it means my device to send you all here was a success. Now then, most of you must be wandering, 'How did I get here? Why am I here? What's going on?' Well, be confused no more, because I'm going to tell you!"_**

"Get to the point already!" said Tatsuki.

 ** _"Just get to the point; stop dicking around."_**

 ** _Kisuke on-screen shrugged. "Eh, just wanted to lighten the mood. Now then," he snapped his fan shut, "what I am about to tell you will probably make you all think I'm crazy!"_**

"Already do." Said Hiyori. Kisuke pouted.

 ** _"But I can assure you, what I am about to say is the complete and honest truth. The current timeline I am recording this…is eleven years from your future."_**

Everyone stared in disbelief at what he said before some exclaimed in disbelief while the most skeptical of the whole group disproved the whole thing. "Ooh, the future! Do you think there maybe robots in the future?" said Orihime and everyone just stared at her as if she grew a second head.

 ** _"I know, I know. You're all probably thinking, 'That's crazy!' or like 'That's insane! You've gotta be joking!' Well don't worry, I know a way for you all to believe me."_**

 ** _"Kisuke, you know how Ichigo will react when he finds out you did this?"_**

"Me? What do I have to do with this?!" exclaimed said teen.

 ** _"I know, that's why I'm making this video beforehand!" in the background, you could hear a slap as if someone was face palming._** ** _"Anyways, in the next room you'll be going to after this clip I have documented every moment of your lives and put it into a sequent like TV show for you to watch. Your lives played out before you as you all learn about your past and your future. Simply put, I'm making you watch your future."_**

"Okay, now I know you're lying. This is such bullshit!" said Tatsuki as she glared at the screen and the man before them. While they all argued the legality of all this, the four oldest people in the group went off to whisper in the corner.

"This is most concerning, if what Kisuke Urahara is saying is true we could very well tip the balance of the timestream by simply watching our future." Said a woman with her hair wrapped in a braid in front of her.

"Not to mention, everyone's privacy as well as ours will be exposed to all eyes here." The man with white long hair added.

"On the other hand, we can finally know what is really going on and how Isshin and the rest of them survived all this time. We can find out where they have been hiding and why they have been gone for so long." Said the man in the straw-hat with a pink kimono on he stared off to the woman in the sailor's outfit.

"Master, what is your input on all this?" the three all turned to the oldest man in the little circle as he had a contemplative look. He hummed in thought before speaking.

"Let us observe for now before we jump to any conclusions to the 'why' and the 'how'. Then after, we can then take action." The three nodded before turning back to the hologram.

 ** _"Now, you must be curious as to why and how I did this. Well I'll tell ya why!" He cleared his throat again before he became serious, looking like a completely different person. "To put it simply, if I sent this and brought you all to this room...It means something terribly bad has happened in my timeline. And for this, I needed you all to watch so you can all fix the mistakes that have been made and make our future better."_**

Now they all looked concern, what mistakes that were so bad he had to bring all of them to watch their future.

 ** _"Just to inform you, I wouldn't have done this if it was a last resort; this is just a precaution. So far already we have lost a lot of good people and maybe more people will die later. Or worse…the end of all life itself."_**

"Daddy?" Yuzu whimpered before her father kneeled and hugged her.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm sure it won't come to that." He whispered to her, even though he wasn't sure.

 ** _"Again, I wouldn't have done this if it weren't life or death. Now then," and just like, he was back to his cheerful self. "as to the how part, to put it simply I used and gathered your reiatsu and reiryoku, so I can put it into a stream of visual data."_**

"I KNEW IT!" exclaimed Kisuke in his excitement while everyone else either stared at him in shock or confusion.

"What the hell is reiatsu and reiryoku?" asked Ichigo. Kisuke explained.

"Reiatsu (spiritual pressure) is an aura like energy that people can exert and use to their advantage while reiryoku (spiritual energy) is basically potential energy that hasn't been tapped in yet and is stored in the person's body and soul. Mostly with humans that have the ability to see ghost and spirits have this inside them and can have the potential to use it."

"Huh…Wait what do you mean 'mostly with humans'? Are you saying you're not?" Kisuke just grinned secretively as he brought his hat over his eyes.

"So, you really are an alien!" Said Orihime excitedly causing everyone to sweat-drop. ' _Seriously, she's still on that?'_ Ichigo thought as the blonde male just told her that no he wasn't an alien, causing her to pout in disappointment. "Oh…But wait, why am I here? I can't see spirits."

"Neither can I." said Chad who had been silent this whole time, which is not unsual. Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro shook their heads.

"Well, I can't actually see ghosts, but I do sometimes sense their presence. But my big brother Ichigo and my sister Karin can." She said happily, causing the people in the kimonos to stare incredulously at the two. Ichigo looked over the corner of his eye, noticing that neither his father nor his other classmate contributes to any of those claims. How odd? He ignored it for now to answer Orihime's question for Kisuke.

"Well you guys wouldn't be here unless you had the potential or will be able to see spirits overtime. I'm sure you guys had made some sort of impact in the future?" the others nodded, taking his word.

 ** _"Now the way to do this was that I have measured your reiryoku and reiatsu over the years, along with everyone else's, and will probably be continuing on until I send you this clip back along with your stories. You see, the funny thing about reiatsu and reiryoku…is that it's not only the source of your powers…but also the connection to your very soul. In other words, your reiatsu and reiryoku is the very essence of everything about you. Your thoughts, your memories, your experiences, your emotions, everything that makes you 'you' are all there for everyone to see...Well, not really until I made it happen, of course." The onscreen laughed at this, proud of his work._**

A clowned face man growled in frustration at this. He had been working on this secretly for 50 years and already his predecessor beat him to it.

 ** _"And I found a way to utilize that by making a device that can scan each and every one of your spirit energies and access them into visual form. But I made it easier for you to access by making them into a movie like sequence in the next room for you, so you're welcome!"_**

 _'What's a movie?'_ Thought the people in the kimonos and a few in the non-kimonos.

 ** _"Now then, here are some things you need to know before you watch the first episode. The first is that every time someone makes a comment in any moment of the show, the video will pause and restart back up when everyone is done talking. You know, just to see if you guys want to add in your two yen and such. The second is that there will be intermissions in between episodes to give you all a break, until after two or three episodes a day and it's night night for you all. And trust me, you will know when it's time to stop and start again." He cleared his throat again and put his cane on his shoulder as he became serious. "Now one of the reasons why I did this was not just because I wanted to give you an insight on the future…it's to embarrass all of you, of course!" Kisuke laughed at his joke._**

"The hell did you say, Hat N 'Clogs?!" said Ichigo as everyone glared at him.

 ** _"But don't worry, I'm not leaving myself out of the picture so there might be some embarrassing moments of me too."_**

 ** _Suddenly, a bell ringing came in from outside as a door slid open and closed. "Yo, Kisuke! Ya here?" Kisuke looked into the direction of the voice and grinned._**

"Huh? Was that me?" questioned Ichigo.

 ** _"Ah, and there's my proof." He then leaned into the camera and whispered conspiringly. "Don't worry, I'll even give some early inside scoop as to what you will learn from the show."_**

 ** _"Yo, Hat N 'Clogs!"_**

 ** _"~In here Ichigo!~" he called back before the camera turned to the door as it slid open. In came an older looking Ichigo with longer hair that was tied up in a ponytail and in a leather jacket, black jeans, combat boots and a red graphic tee while an older Uryu came in behind him with side bangs instead of a 'V' hairstyle, rounded angular glasses, a white dress shirt, grey pants suit, white dress shoes, and a grey tie with crosses decorating it and a vest. In his arms was a tablet that he was currently staring at with a stylist in hand and a messenger bag hanging off his shoulder._**

"HUH?!" the two teens exclaimed as they all stared in shock.

"Whoa, Ichigo is that you? Your hair has gotten super long, dude!" stated Keigo. Ichigo didn't answer as he just continued staring at his future self while Orihime admired how much more handsome he had become.

"Wow, Big Brother! You look so cool!" said Yuzu as she had stars in her eyes.

 _'But why am I there? And why am I following him around and standing behind him like I'm his secretary?!'_ Uryu thought as he studied the scene. His future self looks so calm and content while at the same time looking proud and confident. Uryu was so confused.

 ** _"Ah, Ichigo! Uryu! Glad you could make it on such short notice."_**

 ** _"Alright Kisuke, what's this all about? I'm kinda busy at the moment, so make this quick." He then glanced over to the camera and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What the hell is Yoruichi doing with a camera again?"_**

 ** _"I'm glad you asked, Ichigo. Can you please just turn to the camera and tell us about yourself?"_**

 ** _Ichigo just stared at him. "…What the hell are you up to now, Hat N 'Clogs?"_**

 ** _Kisuke gasped in shock as he donned a hurtful expression. "Wha? I am appalled of you to think I would be up to something! How abhorrent of you, Mr. Kurosaki!"_**

 ** _"Oh, shut up and cut to the chase! I'm on a tight schedule here and I don't need you wasting my time here!"_**

 ** _Kisuke laughed in amusement. "Alright, I gotcha. I was asked by the head of the Soul Reaper Academy to give an introduction as to who you are for new recruits."_**

"Soul Reaper Academy? What's that?" asked Mizuiro.

"I'm sure it will be explained later." Said Yoruichi.

 ** _Ichigo growled in annoyance with a tick mark on his head. "Seriously, Kisuke? You dragged me all the way here for this?!"_**

 ** _"Come on, Ichigo. Just do this for once, it'll be the only time, I promise. Besides, do you really want me to tell the future of the Soul Society all those embarrassing moments in your life?" he stated slyly causing the orange head to pale._**

"Soul Society?" Ichigo repeated.

"Again, later." Said Yoruichi. Ichigo glared in annoyance.

 ** _"Alright, alright fine. What the hell do you want me to say?" he then glared at the camera. "And that thing better not follow me around again or I swear to god, I will murder you where you stand!" Kisuke made a calm down gesture with his hands as he sweat-dropped nervously._**

 ** _"Now, now, no need to get violent. It's just to encourage future Soul Reapers, that's all. You don't even have to do anything, just talk that's all."_**

 ** _Ichigo gave a considering look before giving in with a sigh. "…Fine. What do I have to say?"_**

 ** _"Just talk about yourself and your family as well as your lineage and your reason for fighting, that's all." Said Kisuke as he gave an encouraging smile._**

"Lineage?" Ichigo muttered.

 ** _Again, Ichigo gave him a considering look before sighing and turning to his companion. "Hey Uryu, how long do we have?"_**

 ** _"About an hour until then." Said the Quincy._**

 _'So that's his name. Uryu.'_

 ** _The orange head than turned towards the camera fully and cleared his throat. "And action!" called Yoruichi as Ichigo stared towards the camera while Kisuke moved off-camera._**

 ** _"Hi, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki – Shiba, Substitute Soul Reaper. I'm currently 25 years old and the next heir of the Shiba clan on my father's side. My father's name is Isshin Kurosaki where you may know him as Isshin Shiba in the Soul Society. My dad is the current head of the Shiba clan and was a Soul Reaper Captain. I have two sisters who are twins, Yuzu and Karin. My mother's name was Masaki Kurosaki and was a Quincy. On the day my parents met, my father was on mission to the World of the Living when he heard a report of a weird Hollow that had been spotted._**

 ** _"He was attacked by the Hollow when my mother swooped in and saved his life. In the process, she was injured and was beginning to Hollowfy. But because she was a Quincy, she was dying and to repay her my father saved her life with the help of Kisuke Urahara. In the process, my father lost all of his Soul Reaper powers, so he had no choice but to live a life as a human and later became a doctor after falling in love and marrying my mother._**

 ** _"The Hollow that had almost killed my mother was sealed in her soul before transferring over to me when I was born making me a Vizored, a Soul Reaper born with Hollow powers instead of gaining them or accidently gaining them. She was then later killed by a Hollow when I was nine by protecting me but was unable to protect herself when she realized she had lost all of her Quincy powers and my father was still powerless…But enough about that, on my mother's side I have an uncle named Ryuken Ishida and a cousin named Uryu Ishida."_**

 ** _He then gestured to Uryu behind him who gave a casual wave with his stylist in response, not once taking his eyes off the tablet. "And because not only am I a noble on my father's side, but also Uryu, my sisters, and I are also direct descendants of the Soul King because of our Quincy heritage and by Yhwach himself, the former maker and father of Quincies. As you must know, my name does not mean 'strawberry' but 'he who protects' or 'number one protector', just in case you all get it wrong. And because of that, I have lived by it. To protect others, nothing more. That is my reason for fighting, to protect those who can't themselves. Even if it means I die in the process." At this, his cousin finally looked up and narrowed his eyes in annoyance, looking as though he had been over this with him many times and was not pleased still. But otherwise, didn't say anything. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki – Shiba, and I am the first Human-Soul-Reaper-Hollow-Quincy hybrid."_**

The whole room was in stunned silence. A couple were confused, not sure of some the things he said while the majority was in shock. On the Soul Reaper side, they couldn't believe what he said and didn't know which part to be shocked about first. The boy being a hybrid, the boy being a noble, or the boy being basically _the prince of the Soul Society!_ It at least answered a few questions some had on seeing the boy as those stared at him.

Meanwhile on the human side, Ichigo's friends weren't sure what the meaning of that speech meant but it sounded significantly important to the rest of the room. They were though saddened for Ichigo's loss and how he actually lost his mother. Uryu was significantly shocked. He had _cousins,_ another family he didn't even know about and were Quincies too. Never mind them being half Soul Reaper or Ichigo being part Hollow as well; he could care less about that! All that mattered to Uryu was that…he had another family and he wasn't _alone_ anymore. He wasn't the last one. ' _Finally…'_

Ichigo and his family were the most speechless out of all of them, Ichigo more so. He had no idea; there was a whole other part of himself that he didn't know about and he had a _cousin_ too. What really shocked him was that…it wasn't his fault after all. His mother didn't die because it was his fault, it was a Hollow's fault (whatever that is). Even though she did die protecting him, she at least died knowing what she was doing and did it the same way she did for his father. Even though she didn't have whatever powers she had before, she still knew what to do and because of that. Ichigo felt like an entire weight just lifted from his shoulders, filling him with undeniable relief. But that changed when he realized she was still killed by something and it was probably still out there. That filled him with fury.

"Daddy…is it true?" Yuzu whimpered out hesitantly, tears gathering in his eyes. "Was…was Mommy killed…by a monster?" Isshin felt like his heart broke as he stared solemnly at his daughter.

"Yes, Yuzu…It's true." That opened up the flood gates as she collapsed into tears on the ground. Her twin was trying so hard not to cry but couldn't help it as she clenched her fist in grief and anger. Everyone watched them in sympathy as the family grieved.

"What is a Hollow?" Ichigo questioned in a monotone voice as his eyes turned empty with a neutral expression on his face. Isshin turned to his oldest son and sighed.

"A Hollow is a deceased human soul that has stayed on Earth for too long and has turned dark after losing its heart. When a soul turns into a Hollow, they become a ravenous, mindless beast who feed on other souls or the souls of their loved ones to fill that empty void in place of their heart. N-not you of course, Ichigo, I'm just stating a fact." The teen nodded but didn't say anything as he waited for his father to continue. "As a Soul Reaper, it's our duty to hunt down these creatures and purify their souls so they can pass on to the Soul Society – which is what Humans call heaven – and help them into the cycle of rebirth."

"I see…Did that Hollow have a name?"

"…Yes, his name is Grande Fisher." At the name, several gasps were heard from the people with the kimonos (who were now called Soul Reapers), which meant that this Hollow was probably considerably dangerous and still out and about.

"Hm."

"Ichigo…you know if I had my powers I would have gone out there to save your mother, right? I would never have deliberately put both your lives in danger." At this, Ichigo gave him a ghost of a smile in return as some spark returned to his eyes.

"I know you would have, Dad."

"We know that too, Daddy." Said Yuzu as she and Karin gave their father a hug. "Please don't blame yourself."

"It's wasn't your fault, Goat-Chin." Isshin smiled softly before offering up his arm to include his son in the group family hug, which Ichigo reciprocated full-heartedly before breaking off.

"And Mom…did she really know what she was doing?" Isshin nodded.

"Of course, she did; she was trained to kill Hollows and knew what to do."

"What is a Quincy anyway?"

"Ask your cousin." Right, his cousin Uryu was a Quincy too just like his mother. _That_ there was going to get some getting used to. Ichigo then turned his questioning eyes on him who had already approached the family. Uryu adjusted his glasses as he began to speak.

"There's a long history behind it all, but I won't get into that just yet. Quincies are another race of humans that are born with spirit energy and are able to utilize and manipulate that spirit energy to defend themselves against Hollows. Unlike Soul Reapers though, we do not possess the ability to pass on their souls but obliterate and erase them from existence. And there are very few of us left because of that reason, but like I said I won't get into that just yet. Anyways, unlike a Soul Reaper whose primary weapon is a sword, we Quincies use a bow and arrow as our primary weapon to defend ourselves with."

"I see…and you said there are few of us left right? How many of us are there?" for a moment, Uryu didn't look like he wanted to answer that, but he answered anyway.

"Including my father, we are all that is left of the Quincy race." He said in resignation, causing some to stare in shock. Ichigo couldn't believe it, they were the last ones? What the hell happened to have caused this? Urahara stepped up.

"I think that's enough questions for now. How about we go back to the clip and get all of our answers taken care of by watching the videos?" everyone silently agreed as they turned back to the hologram.

 ** _Ichigo scowled even deeper after he finished and turned in the direction where Kisuke probably was. "There, happy?" Kisuke chuckled as he stepped back onscreen next to Ichigo._**

 ** _"Very much, thank you. The recruits will be delighted to see this."_**

 ** _"Is that all you need from me?"_**

 ** _"That's pretty much it!"_**

 ** _"Good."_** **SMACK!**

 ** _With that, Ichigo punched Urahara in the face – leaving him with a bloody nose – before turning and marching towards the door with Uryu in tow._**

Everyone either winced or laughed in amusement at the shopkeeper's pain. That had to have hurt.

 ** _"Come on, Uryu. Let's go." He grumbled out in annoyance._**

 ** _"Told ya it was a waste of our time." Said Uryu._**

 ** _"Shut up!" the other snapped back before leaving through the door. Yoruichi laughed in the background as she turned the camera back on Urahara whom was tending to his nose._**

 ** _"Told ya he wouldn't be happy. Imagine what he would do to you if he found out about this whole TV series thing?"_**

At the retort, Urahara felt a chill down his spine and looked over to see the teen giving the death of all death glares. Kisuke gulped nervously. He didn't have to imagine it, he already knew.

 ** _Kisuke brushed it off with a casual wave of his hand. "He can kill me later. And anyways, thanks for watching! Just to let you know, I will be showing up on more of these segments and give you an insight on all the characters on the show and their lives. For now, the room I transported you all in is in a pocket dimension I created for this very purpose and enabling the humans who can't actually see spirits. Accommodations will be provided for you for the remainder of your stay here as well as food that automatically restocks itself, so you won't go hungry. After you finish, I will send you all back to the exact moment I took you from and hopefully…you will give us a better future. In the meantime, I will give you all an hour to get acquainted with each other. The door to the room is set to open in an hour and the show will start once everyone is seated. Please don't kill each other. Good luck!" with that, the hologram went black with only three words._**

 ** _~ Enjoy the Show! ~_**

As the projector turned off and the lights turned on, everyone stood in awkward silence unsure of what to do. "Well…that was mind blown." Ichigo didn't know who said that, but he couldn't help but agree. The teen sighed tiredly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, we have an hour; might as well make the most of it." He stated, breaking the ice. Everyone than began walking around and started talking amongst themselves while Ichigo's classmates stayed with him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yoruichi and that other Soul Reaper – Sui-Feng he believed was her name – race off towards a corner. Probably to get over some issues they have with each other. He then turned his attention towards Uryu. "So, you're my cousin huh?"

"It would appear so, though my father, Ryuken, didn't tell me anything about me having an aunt or cousins. So, I guess it was both a shock to us." Ichigo nodded with a grin as he held out his hand.

"Nice to officially meet ya. Ichigo." Uryu stared hesitantly at the hand before grasping it with a small smile.

"Pleasures all mine. Uryu."

"Hi! I'm Yuzu!" the voice startled him before he looked down to his left to see the light-haired twin smiling up at him.

"And I'm Karin." He jumped again to his right to see the other twin just looking up at him with a blank expression.

"H-hello?" he replied awkwardly before he was suddenly put into a headlock by Isshin.

"It's nice to see you again, Uryu! I haven't seen you since you were a baby." He said happily before he let the poor boy go. Uryu fixed up his hair and adjusted his glasses before starring at his uncle like he was insane.

"Really? And how come we haven't heard this before?" said Ichigo as he narrowed his eyes at his dad with his arms crossed. Isshin began to perspire nervously.

"Uh, well…it just…slipped my mind I guess?"

" _Really?_ It conveniently just… _slipped your mind_ for 15 long years, huh? How very odd." He stated, his tone turning dangerous.

"Uh…yeah?" the man chuckled nervously as his son continued to stare at him.

"Hmph." Before he knew it, Ichigo stepped on his father's face into the ground with an angry look. "You stupid old man! I'm gonna kill you for that!" Isshin just continued twitching on the ground in pain. Uryu stared in bemusement at the display of the abuse while his other cousins just watched on unaffected. He turned to them confused.

"Does this happen all the time?"

"Yeah. You get used to it." They replied as their father got to his knees and started sobbing at a framed picture of his wife he got out of his lab pocket.

"MASAKI! Your son is so cruel to me! He keeps on beating up and threatening his old man. How did we raise such a delinquent child!"

"Oh, shut up! It's your own damn fault for not telling us we had another family member in the first place. Now put Mom's picture away already so I can properly kill you!"

"Now hold on, there's no need for you to do that." the group turned to see a well-endowed woman with a fake right arm coming up to them along with a much younger looking version of Isshin. Isshin perked up at the sight of them as he got up to hug the two.

"Kukaku! Ganju! It's incredible to see you bo- "he was cut when a well-placed kick was given to him in the face as he was greeted by the ground again.

"BECAUSE I'M GONNA KILL HIM MYSELF!" the others just stared in shock as she started beating the man into the ground. "You bastard old man! Not once have we gotten a single letter from you nor did you let us know that you were alive at all, dammit!" Isshin just laid there barely conscious as she finally stopped with a breath of exhaustion before turning to the kids with a smile. "Anyways, it's nice to finally meet you all! The name's Kukaku Shiba, your cousin. And this is my little brother, Ganju Shiba." Ganju waved in greeting as they all finally relaxed.

"Oh, so your part of the Shiba clan I was talking about up there." He held up his hand with a polite smile. "Ichigo Kurosaki, or well Ichigo Kurosaki – Shiba now I guess." Kukaku stared at the hand looking unimpressed before looking blankly up at him.

"What is this a charity event? Family don't do handshakes." The teen was then grabbed roughly before being squeezed into an embrace, surprising him. "We hug it out, of course!" Ichigo just smile before returning the hug as his sisters came up when they separated.

"Hi! I'm Yuzu! And this is my twin sister Karin and our cousin Uryu!" she greeted.

"Well hey there! The names Ganju Shiba!" said Ganju as he ruffled their hairs and slapped a hand down on the Quincy's shoulder. Kukaku smiled at the sight before turning to Ichigo with a wistful smile confusing the teen.

"Something wrong?" his cousin shook her head.

"Nothing, you just…look so much like our late older brother." At this, Ganju stopped smiling having a solemn expression. Everyone watches in confusion, not knowing why they suddenly turned sad.

"I do?" she nodded as she took out a picture and showed it to them.

"Our brother, Kaien. He and his wife died a long time ago, but if he were here now you would look just like him." In the picture were two people. One was a brunette woman with soft features while the other could very well be Ichigo's twin with black hair and blue eyes. They all stared in amazement at the likeness.

"Holy crap, he really does look like me!"

"He could be like your twin brother, Ichi-nii!" said Yuzu as Kukaku took the picture back and put it away.

"Yeah, it really surprised us when we saw you. We thought our brother was actually reincarnated or something." She stated with a smirk.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking…what happened to them?" they stiffened at the question before Kukaku answered.

"Hmph, Miyako, his wife, was a Soul Reaper while our brother was her superior officer. She and a few other Soul Reapers went on a scouting mission about a Hollow terrorizing a district in the Soul Society…but something went wrong. The Hollow they were hunting killed the other soldiers and used this strange ability to use Miyako's body as some kind of meat suit as it ate her from the inside." This stunned them. "The Hollow, Metastacia, used her body to invade her squad posing as her and killed some squad members before they chased it out into the forest. Kaien…he wanted to protect her honor and chased after it along with his captain and another Soul Reaper he was mentoring. But…when he did catch up to it, it used him as a meat puppet and tried to kill his captain and the other Soul Reaper. They tried to save him...but it was too late, and the other Soul Reaper had no choice but to kill her mentor in his honor…She was devastated from what I heard." The four were astonished into silence.

"…Who was the other Soul Reaper?" just as he asked that, a raven-haired Soul Reaper stepped up slowly to the group with downcast eyes. They turned towards her, the four having confused looks while Kukaku narrowed her eyes and Ganju had a look of outrage.

"That's her! That's the Soul Reaper that killed our brother!" the four gasped in shock while the girl flinched.

"What?" said Ichigo.

"Ganju…"

"But Sis- "

"Ganju!" he turned to her to see disapproving eyes. "Let me handle this." She stated in a warning tone. Ganju looked like he wanted to argue but then realized to cut his losses and scoffed. The female Shiba inwardly sighed before turning her hard gaze towards the Soul Reaper. "Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper who killed our brother Kaien." Rukia didn't say anything as she continued to stare at the ground solemnly. "I know who you are. You've got some nerve showing your face to me. What do you want?"

"W-wait, Kukaku- "she interrupted Ichigo with a raise of her fake hand.

"Now I ask you again, what did you come here for?"

Rukia remained silent, not sure how to go about it. She closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry." She looked up into her eyes before bowing. "I…I know I should have come sooner. I wanted to, but I was a coward. I should've apologized to you the first chance I got. But the longer I waited, the harder it seemed to become, until…I ran. I ran and I'm sorry- "

"Stop. That's enough." Rukia looked up startled to see Kukaku scratching her head in annoyance. "What is this? The world's longest apology?"

"I'm, um…I'm so sorry – oh!" the Shiba lady knocked her on the head, causing everyone but Ganju and Isshin (who was still unconscious) to stare in bewilderment.

"Enough, I said!" she stated.

"Oh!" Rukia stood back up as fixed her hair, looking lost. "I um um…"

"It's alright."

"Huh?"

"I mean it. Anyway, I already heard the whole story from Ukitake. I know that Kaien's death wasn't your fault. And I know that ever since that day, you've been carrying more than your share of guilt over it. So long ago I decided in my heart that if you said just one word of apology, I would forgive you." Rukia stared her and Ganju, who gave a solemn nod, in amazement and realization. ' _Of course. She knew Kaien, better than anyone. She knows what he would have wanted. Huh, all this time I was only thinking of myself, when she's the one who was hurt the most by the loss of her brother.'_ Rukia began tearing up.

"Oh, thank you. I'm just so sorry I – "with a grunt, she was suddenly tearing up for another reason as Kukaku gave her a punch in the face. She had a tick mark on her cheek as Rukia sported a bloody nose.

"Enough apologizing."

"Um, ok." She muffled out as she held up her nose. "I'm sorry – "Kukaku growled as she held up a fist threateningly. "Wait. I mean, thank you." Everyone just stared on in confusion; it was the weirdest apology/acceptance speech they had ever seen.

"And you!" they jumped as she turned her sights on them, specifically Ichigo.

"Wha – me?"

"Yes you! Don't think I didn't hear you just call me by my name, you little brat! From now on, all of you are to call me by 'Kukaku-neesan' and nothing else, got it?"

"Uh?" they all stated dumbly before she growled and raised her fist up, causing them to perspire in fear. "Yes, Kukaku-neesan!" they blurted out fearfully.

"Hmph, good. Make sure you all remember that." they all nodded obediently. When she looked away satisfied, Ichigo leaned in towards Ganju nervously.

"Your sister's a piece of work."

"Yeah, try living with her." Ichigo sighed before he felt someone starring at him and looked to see Rukia who had a wistful smile.

"What?" Rukia hummed.

"You really do look like Kaien…" then all of a sudden, she stiffened in realization before bowing in respect, making everyone look at her in confusion. "I mean, it's an honor to meet you, Sire!"

"HUH?!"

"Forgive my disrespect, I had momentarily forgotten that I was in the presence of one of the members of the Royal Family, My Lord!" Ichigo just choked on some air, not sure what to do as he stared at her incredulously. He then groaned in annoyance as he scratched the back of his head.

"Give me a break, will ya? I just found out about my lineage, so there's no need for such formalities."

"But Sire – "he held up a hand to her face.

"No 'Sire' this or 'My Lord' that, okay! Besides, I never liked formalities anyway, so for now just call me Ichigo."

"My Lor- "she was then smacked on the head again, but this time by Ichigo.

"What the hell did I just say, dammit?! If you can't even do that then you can just stop talking!" Rukia rubbed her head again before smiling with a nod. _'He is definitely a Shiba…'_

"Very well, if that is what you wish…Ichigo."

"And you can call me Yuzu!" startled, she turned to the twins and the Quincy. Her twin nodded.

"Karin is fine." Rukia smiled.

"Very well. And you, monsieur?" Uryu just stared at her with an unreadable expression before he adjusted his glasses.

"Don't take offense to this or anything, I don't have anything against you per say. It's just that Quincies and Soul Reapers are natural born enemies and plus, I don't know anything about you to allow you to call me by my given name."

"Huh? Quincies and Soul Reapers are enemies?!" his cousin said incredulously as Uryu nodded.

"It dates back to over a thousand years of bloodshed and hatred, but that was a long time ago. And since my cousins are part Soul Reaper and their father is a Soul Reaper, it'll take some time to get over that." Rukia nodded.

"Well if it helps, you don't have to think of me as a Soul Reaper?" she stated as she held out her hand. Uryu stared at it before nodding and slowly grasped it.

"Uryu Ishida."

"Now that that's cleared, so tell me honestly. What's the Soul Society like?" Ichigo inquired and she gladly explained everything in detail she knew about it and the Seireitei as well as the different Rukongai districts (his cousins putting in their input now and again), not leaving anything out and trying to not sugarcoat it. Just when she was explaining all of the different squads in the Seireitei and the noble clans, the guy with the piano mouth walked over with a Cheshire grin. Ichigo raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Well aren't you a rude one, but I'll let it slide since I'm in the face of royalty." The teen's eyebrow twitched at that. "The name's Shinji Hirako, I'm a Vizored." This surprised them at the declaration.

"A Vizored, huh? That's a Soul Reaper with Hollow-like abilities, right?"

"Right on the money, kid! That makes us kin!" the teen stared at him flatly.

"Great. I'm in a little club; sounds fun." He said sarcastically, causing Shinji's eye to twitch.

"It is not a club!"

"Whatever." Shinji looked like he was going to wring his neck.

"Hirako…" they all turned to Rukia who had a thoughtful expression. "Hirako. Now where have I heard that name before?"

"You should have heard it, since he was a captain of Squad 5." They all turned their attentions to see three male Soul Reapers in white haoris walking towards them and the other with a badge on the side of his arm. One with long bleached out hair and the other with raven colored hair and hair accessories with a schooled noble-like expression. The other one had red spikey hair tied into a ponytail, making him look like a walking pineapple head.

"Captain Ukitake. Brother. Renji." Ukitake nodded in hello at his subordinate before turning his eyes and smiling pleasantly towards Shinji, whom had a guarded expression towards them.

"Hello, Shinji. It's very good to see you again, old friend."

"Jushiro, long time no see." Said Shinji as he grinned with guarded eyes. "So, what? Are you here to execute me?" Jushiro turned sad eyes on him while everyone else looked incredulous.

"Execute? What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo inquired, not sure the hell is going on.

"Hmph, if you must know kid. In the Soul Society, it's against the law for Soul Reapers to acquire Hollow abilities." Ichigo's breath hitched.

"It is true." They turned their sights back at the old captain. "In the eyes of our government, it is against the law for Soul Reapers to gain Hollow abilities. And the punishment for that is execution." They all gasped in horror. "But rest assured, I did not come here to sentence you. I have come here out of the goodness of my heart to get the full story of what really happened that day."

"Oh, I see… After all these years of condemning us without letting us explain ourselves, you suddenly want the whole story 'out of the goodness of your hearts'?" Shinji stated narrowing his eyes suspiciously at him, causing the man to lose his smile. Before an argument could break out Ichigo took charge and intervened, looking very much annoyed and confused all at the same time.

"Okay, enough!" they all paused in surprise as the teen glared at both the men. "Before things get hostile, can either of you tell us what really happened?" Ichigo inquired. Ukitake smiled in relief and nodded.

"Certainly." He cleared his throat. "100 years ago, many low-ranking Soul Reapers began to disappear. When we tried to find them there were no traces of them nor were there any bodies. We sent out investigative teams out, but they also began to disappear and not heard from again. Squad 9's captain, Kensei Muguruma, at the time decided to take it upon himself to investigate the cause, so he along with his lieutenant and a few high-ranking officers went off to seek answers. They were all mysteriously cut down by an unknown assailant and their reiatsu disappeared.

"After that, the Head Captain hand-picked captains of Squad 5, Shinji Hirako, Squad 7 Love Aikawa, and Squad 3 Rojuro 'Rose' Otoribashi to investigate along with the Kidō Corp's lieutenant Hachigen Ushoda and Squad 8's lieutenant Lisa Yadomaru while Squad 12's lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki went with them to collect samples at her captain's request. They too suddenly disappeared until they were found in one of Squad 12's labs with Hollowfied masks on and Kisuke Urahara, captain of Squad 12 at the time, and Captain of the Kidō Corps Tessai Tsukabishi standing over them.

"Since Squad 12 specializes in science, we believed that Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi were the culprits at the time and tried apprehending them. They disappeared after escaping along with Yoruichi Shihoin, Captain of Squad 2, going with them and taking the Hollowfied captains and lieutenants. We never heard from them again and believed they had all died…That is until now, of course." Everyone just stared incredulously at him; the story sounded so outlandish that they had no choice but to believe him. Jushiro smiled pleasantly. "Now that you are here and indeed alive and well, I would very much like to know your side of what really happened that day, so we can finally get our stories straight."

Shinji scoffed. "Why should I, it's not like you'll believe us, since you all practically hunted us like dogs without letting us explain our side. Don't get me wrong, I like you Jushiro and you're a good man, but how are we supposed to trust you guys after that?" he stated, the hostility clearly being heard in his voice and causing the sickly man to lose his smile once again.

"I assure you Shinji, there is no foul play here. All I want is the truth, that's all." The blonde Vizored stayed silent. He didn't know if it would make any difference if he told them, since he and the rest spent the last hundred years in hiding from the Soul Reapers. Because of that day he lost his faith and trust in the people he used to work with. He didn't think he could ever do that again.

"Come on, Shinji," The blonde turned to Ichigo who gave him a serious look. "just give him a chance; it can't hurt to just tell him what really happened. This could be your only chance to get your stories straight without swords pointing at your throat."

"And why would you say that?"

"Because I can tell that he's not lying." Said Ichigo with complete conviction.

"Uh huh. And how do you know that?"

"It's the Shiba sense." They turned to see Isshin finally awake and looking very serious. Everyone but the rest of the Shibas looked confused.

"Shiba sense? What's that?" asked the teen. Kukaku answered.

"It's a family secret, but the Shiba family have always been able to see into the hearts of others."

"'Hearts of others'?" Uryu repeated. Ganju answered.

"Meaning that if a Shiba has strong enough spirit energy, we can practically see into another's heart and get to the truth. There have been some instances in our family history that had strong enough spirit energy to even read another's thoughts." Their eyes widened at this new piece of information.

"Cool! So, I could be able to read people's minds?" exclaimed Yuzu.

"Wow, well that's a relief. I thought I was just going nuts." Everyone balked at the orange head. Ichigo stared at them confused and looking exasperated. "What now?" Ganju pointed an incredulous finger in the teen's face.

"Hold on a second, Ichigo! You mean to tell us that your able to read people's minds?!"

"Uh, sometimes? Dad, weren't you able to do that?"

"Well yeah, but only when I'm in the heat of battle and when I'm at my height. And even then, I could only hear whispers! Are you telling me you can do that without any effort?"

"…Well I didn't say without any effort, per say. But like I said, I thought I was going crazy at the time, so I just ignored it and it only happens when I guess their thoughts are really loud. Other than that, I'm pretty much just a human lie detector." Everyone stared in amazement, especially the Shibas. Here was a teen at 15, whom was practically an infant by Soul Society standards, and he could do it like it was nothing when it takes a Shiba to have the spirit energy of a captain class Soul Reaper to do it.

"Wow! My big brother is so cool!" exclaimed the light hair twin who had stars in her eyes.

"Come on, Yuzu, it's not really all that cracked up to be. I mean, I have to practically shut their thoughts out of my head just for me to be able to focus in class and study."

"Don't be so sure, Son."

"Huh?" the teen looked back to his father and his expression fell flat when he saw his father having that look in his eyes again. ' _Oh great…'_

"Your sister is right. A gift like that should not be brushed off so easily. In fact…IT SHOULD BE PRAISED AND SHOWERED UPON WITH ADORATION FOR THE GIFT IT IS!" his father shouted with tears in his eyes and his fist held high. The Soul Reapers and Uryu stared at him in puzzlement while his family just watched flatly. ' _And here comes the picture.'_ "MASAKI! Our beautiful son is a prodigy! I'm so proud of him! Our son is not a delinquent, after all! The only thing that can make this special is that he gets a girl- " **SMASH!** Everyone but the Shibas and the twins winced and stared in bewilderment at Isshin on the ground again making an imprint; his son with a tick mark on his head and his foot on his dad's head again.

"Shut up and go back to sleep already, you lousy old freak!" they Soul Reapers and Uryu were speechless. What was wrong with these people?! "Anyways, Shinji," the blonde shook himself out of his stupor and looked back at him, "you should tell these people the truth. Not because you should trust them, but because the truth needs to be out there and set things right. For you and the rest." The Vizored gave him a considering look before turning to Ukitake.

"I'll have to discuss this with the rest of the Vizoreds; this isn't just my story to tell, really." The sickly captain nodded in understanding.

"I see, then I shall wait until you can tell me. It seems like we'll be here for a while so take your time." Shinji nodded and went to walk away before he paused to look back with his Cheshire grin.

"For what it's worth, it really is good to see you again, Jushiro."

"Likewise, old friend." With that said, he walked away towards the rest of the Vizoreds.

"By the way, who are you guys anyway?" Ichigo inquired, causing the man to look slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, where are my manners. My name is Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of Squad 13 and Rukia's superior, Your Majesty. Your cousin, Kaien, was my lieutenant actually."

"Just Ichigo is fine, really; I hate formalities. Nice to meet ya." He then turned to the noble looking man who not once showed much expression on his face nor has he said anything.

"I am Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 6 and head of the Kuchiki clan as well as Rukia's brother. It is an honor to be in you and your family's presence, Sire." Ichigo sweat-dropped.

"Again, just Ichigo is fine. Nice to meet ya, Byakuya." Byakuya's eyebrow twitched slightly at him saying his given name so casually but didn't say anything. Ichigo then stared flatly at the redhead. "And what you about you then, Pineapple Head?" the redhead got a tick mark at that.

"Who are you calling Pineapple Head, Carrot Top?!"

"Lieutenant Abarai."

The redhead winced at his captain's warning tone before he took a breath and bowed. "I'm Renji Abarai, Sire. Lieutenant of Squad 6 and Rukia's childhood friend. It's an honor to meet you."

"Lieutenant? When did that happen?" Rukia asked. Renji then had a smug look.

"Just before you left for the World of the Living. I wanted to tell you when you got back from your mission."

"Well congratulations, Renji; I'm so proud of you." Renji rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Come on."

"Just take it or leave it, Lieutenant Pineapple Head."

"I told you it's Renji Abarai! Or are those ears on your carrot top of a head just an accessory?"

"Don't call me Carrot Top! If you don't want to be called a pineapple, then get a new hairstyle!"

"Well if you don't want to be called a carrot top, then dye your hair already!"

"KNOCK IT OFF, BOTH OF YOU!" with that, Rukia knocked both their heads ending the argument. Realizing what she did, she immediately started apologizing. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I have no idea what came over me!" Ichigo groaned and glared at her.

"Ow! The hell was that for, you midget!" her eye twitched at the insult.

"…What?" she said in a venomous tone.

"How about you just mind your own damn business, you little brat!" she twitched even more as she glared at him.

"Little…brat? Who are you calling a little brat, you damn Strawberry!"

"My name is not Strawberry, or can you not hear from all the way down there!"

"Why you…"

"Rukia." At her brother's warning tone, she backed off (though not without giving him the stink eye). And just in time too as two more people approached the group. One was a busty strawberry blonde woman with a pink scarf around her neck and a lieutenant's badge while the other had a captains haori and looked like the twins age with spikey bleached hair and turquoise eyes.

"Hi, I'm Rangiku Matsumoto! I'm the Lieutenant of Squad 10 and this here is my captain!" her captain nodded in greeting.

"Hello, I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya. Captain of Squad 10. It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesties. Your Highnesses." He spoke politely.

"We just came to introduce ourselves since your father, Isshin, was our captain back then."

"Oh, so you were my old man's subordinates. You don't have to use formalities around us, we don't care. The name's Ichigo. These are my sisters, Karin and Yuzu, and my cousin Uryu." They nodded in greeting. "Anyways, what was my- "

"TOSHIRO!" Suddenly, Toshiro was lifted and up in the air by a now awake (again) Isshin who had a bright smile on his face. "Look at you! I knew, I just knew you would make captain after me! And look, you've even grown a bit."

Toshiro gave an annoyed stare. "Please put me down, Captain Shiba." Isshin put him down and ruffled his hair as he laughed joyfully.

"I'm sorry, it's just been so long since I last saw you, that's all. And I'm not your captain anymore so there's no need to call me that. Hey, Rangiku! Still looking as stunning as ev- UGH!" Rangiku punched him in the face and started kicking him multiple times while everyone just sweat-dropped. Looks like it's just not Isshin's day.

"Idiot Captain! I cannot believe you were alive this whole time and didn't even let us know! I told you when you went on that mission, you should have brought back up!" as she continued to abuse their father, the twins and Ichigo (with Uryu standing next to the other teen just observing) started to have a conversation with Toshiro.

"Hi, I'm Yuzu!"

"And I'm Karin." He nodded to them both.

"Hello."

"Aren't you a little young to be a captain?" Karin inquired as she studied him. He really did look like he was their age.

"Well I may look young on the outside and I am the youngest of the captains, but I'm actually quite older than I look. Souls in the Soul Society tend to age at a much slower rate than humans, depending on their reiatsu."

"How old are you?" Ichigo asked curiously. The young captain shrugged.

"Well the years kind of blur together after so long of not keeping track, but if my math is correct, I believe I'm…" he then counted on his fingers. "86-years-old." They balked at that.

"Holy cow!"

"Whoa!"

"Wow, then that would make Dad ancient. Though if you are the youngest, I'm guessing you don't get to act your age much if you're around adults all the time." Stated Ichigo. Toshiro looked at him confused.

"'Act my age'? I'm not sure what you quite mean."

Karin stepped in. "What my brother means is that you don't get to go out and have fun with kids your own age is all. You know, since you are still considered a kid in the Soul Society." That got a look of understanding out of him.

"I see, then no I don't get to do that at all, really. I have a squad to look after and paperwork to do, especially when my lieutenant goes off to go drink while I have to do her share of the work sometimes. So, no I don't really have the luxury to be a kid and have fun. Besides, I never really had an interest in things that kids my age like to do (except for spinning tops), even before I became a captain and I'm considered a prodigy child." That gave all four of them sad looks, feeling sorry for him. Yuzu clapped her hands as she then had an idea.

"Well, now's your chance! Since we're two of the only kids that look around your age physically, you can have fun with us. We'll even ask those other kids too."

"And you don't have to do any stupid paperwork or look after your squad, since we have all the time in the world here." Karin added. This shocked Toshiro; he never thought about actually having fun and relaxing for once in his life.

"I…I don't know; I don't even think I actually know how to have fun at all. Let alone act like a kid." Ichigo dropped a hand to his head, making him look up at the teen in surprise.

"Don't sweat it, Toshiro- "

"That's Captain Hitsugaya! Um, my Lord." The teen shrugged.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm sure they'll help you, so don't worry. Just have fun, be a kid, relax once in a while. After all, this is practically your vacation." The young captain looked up at him with a slight blush before looking away with a slight smile.

"Hmph, alright then." Ichigo gave another ruffle of his hair and a thumbs up, causing the boy to give him a bigger more child-like smile while Yuzu cheered in the background and Karin draped an arm around his shoulders. Meanwhile, Jushiro, Isshin, and Rangiku smiled at the scene, glad to see the boy finally open up while Byakuya looked indifferent. Rukia and Renji on the other hand gaped in shock. "By the way, Jushiro, have you seen Captain Aizen and Captain Tosen anywhere?" that snapped him out of it as he looked confused.

"Sosuke Aizen and Kaname Tosen are not here?" he began looking around the room, trying to find the missing captains.

"No, and I've searched everywhere, even in the other group. Lieutenant Hinamore and Lieutenant Hisagi couldn't find them either."

"How strange…"

"Maybe they're not important enough or have enough significance to the future to be here?" Uryu imputed.

"Perhaps, though it is strange why they are not here since every other captains and former captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads is here as well as some seated officers and Rukia. Plus, a handful of humans." Toshiro sighed.

"I'll just let them know what we think for now before we find out for sure when I see them."

"Very well then." Ichigo suddenly felt a chill down his spine, like someone was watching him. He turned to the source and found a clowned-face man with a weird hat on and a white haori, signifying him as a caption. The weird looking man was staring at him with creepy interest and Ichigo didn't like that.

"Hey, Ukitake?" the man turned to the disturbed teen. "Who's that clowned-face guy over there? I don't like the way he's staring at me like that." that got everyone on guard, some going so far as to grab the hilt of their swords.

"That would be Mayuri Kurotsuchi," said Jushiro, regretfully. "Captain of Squad 12 and Head of the Department of Research and Development after Kisuke Urahara. He is a very intelligent man…but also can be very dangerous."

"Rumor has it that he takes delight in experimenting on his squad members, on some others that catch his interest, and sometimes on himself." Said Toshiro as he stood in front of Ichigo to better protect the teen, glaring at the insane man until he looked away.

"Experiment?! If that's true, then why is he still a captain?" said Uryu, incredulous at how the Soul Reapers could let a man like _that_ have such a high position. Byakuya was the one to answer, having a note of disdain in his tone.

"Believe us, if the circumstances weren't as such we would gladly put him back in the Maggot's Nest where he belongs. But Central 46 deemed him worthy enough to keep the position since he is currently the smartest person in the Soul Society, along with having no further proof of his actions to hold court." He narrowed his eyes, showing how displeased he was of this. "Kisuke Urahara was a fool to let him out."

"Kisuke was the one to let him out?!" Ichigo exclaimed in shock. Jushiro nodded solemnly.

"When Kisuke found out how intelligent the man was, he brought it to our and Central 46's attention that he could utilize that gift for the benefit of the Soul Society. After much debate, Central allowed him to bring him out of imprisonment as long as Kisuke kept a close eye on him. It went well at first, the man barely did anything without Kisuke watching him like a hawk; Kisuke being the only one to keep a leash on him.

"But after the incident with the Vizoreds, Mayuri Kurotsuchi took advantage of this and had free reign to do whatever he pleased since both the captain and lieutenant were out of commission and he had the highest rank being a third seat at the time." Ichigo and Uryu looked like they couldn't breathe while the twins looked scared at the thought of their brother being experimented on.

"That's…that's awful. You mean there's really no one to take his place?" the orange haired, his blood running cold when the Soul Reapers shook their heads in resignation.

"Hopefully with Kisuke here now, we can finally have the Vizored incident cleared up and have him to take back his position, if he wants it back of course. If not, then at least he would do a better job than the rest of us to be able to rein him in enough so he won't be a threat here."

"Not to mention if he does want it back, he can finally keep a tight leash on him, or better yet put him back in the Maggot's Nest where he belongs." Toshiro added, still keeping his guard up.

"Hopefully these videos of the future should shed some light on the disgraceful man's crimes and finally incarcerate him. For now, My Liege, it is in you and your family's best interest to stay away from him." The noble informed and the others nodded. Just then, the door opened to the other room, signifying that their hour was up. Conversations halted as they all stared at the door.

"Well, looks like it's time." Ichigo announced before they all filed through the door towards their future.


	2. Ch 2 The Day I Became a Soul Reaper

Ch. 2 The Day I Became a Soul Reaper

Everyone congregated inside as they took in the room. To the humans and the exiles, it appeared to be a theater room with a big screen at the front and a food bar full of refreshments at the back. Some immediately went to the bar while others went to find seats for themselves. Ichigo and his family took one row near the top while his friends sat behind them. After Toshiro went to Momo and Shuhei to inform them of their theory (Momo being the most disappointed), he and Rangiku sat in the row in front of Ichigo and his family along with Rukia, Byakuya, and Renji; practically barricading them from any danger. Kisuke's group wasn't that far as they took the top left section while the Vizoreds took the top right. The senior Soul Reapers took the middle while everyone else just spread out anywhere. After getting everything settled, the lights dimmed, and the screen lit up.

 ** _[OPENING THEME SONG: Asterisk]_**

"Wait! We have our own theme song?! Kisuke!" Ichigo exclaimed angrily.

"Wow, it's like we have our own TV show where we're the superheroes and we get to fight villains and solve crime!" said Orihime.

"Though why title the show 'Bleach' is what I'm trying to understand." Said Tatsuki.

"MY LIFE IS NOT A DAMN TV SHOW!"

 ** _[The first scene that popped up was an image of Hueco Mundo with an eerie music playing in the background. The scene continued on as it showed shadows stretching across the sand and the wind howling, before a shadow rose up and into the sky like a drop of water but in reverse. The scene then cuts to the World of the Living as the shadow dropped from the sky towards the night of Karakura Town.]_**

 ** _Rukia Kuchiki: We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen._**

"Huh? Wait, I'm narrating?!"

 ** _[The scene then cuts towards the river as two Hollows land on the ground before becoming invisible.]_**

 ** _Rukia Kuchiki: And we respect with every fiber that which cannot be explained. [The scene cuts to the full moon shining brightly as a Hell Butterfly flew before showing Rukia on a telephone poll. Then it cuts to her face, looking serious as she looks on in the distance.]_**

 **Rukia: I sense strong spirit energy close by. _[With that, she leapt from one pole to another and towards the suburbs as the Kanji letters spelled out "And so fell the swords of fate…" before it showed "Bleach 01". The scene then cuts to an alleyway where four guys are ganging up on a 15-year-old Ichigo in a high school uniform with skateboards on the ground along with one of their unconscious buddies. It was sunset.]_**

 **Little Yama: You got a death wish, pal? Nobody jumps one of my boys for no reason and lives to tell about it. _[Ichigo just scoffs as he frowns at them, his hand on his head.]_ That's all you've gotta say? _[The guy then launches himself to swing at Ichigo, but the teen just calmly smacks the idiot with his foot right at his face. The guy grunts and falls face first before Ichigo starts stomping on him repeatedly. The boys become scared.]_**

"What did they ever do to you?" Renji inquired as he looked back at the teen who just stared at the screen in mild irritation.

"Just watch, I probably have a good reason for beating those idiots up."

 **Boy 1: Little Yama's down. We gotta help him!**

 **Boy 2: Are you crazy?**

 **Boy 3: No way I'm taking on that psycho.**

 ** _[Ichigo stomps Little Yama's head into the ground, causing it to break through the cement.]_**

"Interesting, it takes a tremendous amount of strength for a regular human to do that to a cement ground." Jushiro commented.

"And who said I was a regular human?" Ichigo called back, causing the straw-hat man to laugh.

"He's got ya there, Jushiro."

 **Ichigo: Now listen up you pond scum! Do you see that? _[He then points towards a telephone pole where a vase of flowers was lying on its side in front of it.]_**

"That's it? You beat up a couple of thugs over a vase?" stated a bald Soul Reaper.

"Again, just watch, Cue Ball."

"Who are you calling 'Cue Ball'?!" he was then shushed all around, making him pout.

 **Ichigo: First question. What do you think that is? You, the one in the middle – answer! _[The guys gasp before the one in the middle pointed at himself.]_**

 **Boy 1: What? Wait, you talking to me? I guess somebody left those flowers for some kid who got killed here.**

Everyone then had a look of understanding while his family praised him for his kind heart (the teen blushing in embarrassment when his father became the most vocal about it, causing more abuse to the man). Uryu was surprised, he never knew that his cousin had such a considerate heart. Whenever he saw Ichigo in class, he always assumed he was nothing more than an idiot thug, but apparently not. You learn something new each day. Toshiro couldn't help but stare in admiration at the teen while Byakuya felt impressed. The girls in the room thought it was so sweet of him.

 **Ichigo: CORRECT! _[Ichigo gives the guy a kick in the face so hard, the guy bends backwards unnaturally. His feet were still planted where he stood as he lays on his head.]_**

Some laughed at the comical scene while a few that loved violence just laughed at the violence itself.

 **Boy 2: Wait! Chill out!**

 **Ichigo: Now the next question, that vase over there. Why is it lying on its side?**

 **Boy 3: I guess…one of us knocked it over when we were skateboarding through here. We didn't – _[Before he could finish, Ichigo gave them rapid fire kicks, knocking them back a few feet.]_**

More laughter.

 **Ichigo: You guys catch on fast. _Now go and apologize, or else the next time the flowers will be for you._**

Some of the lieutenants, seated officers and a couple of Ichigo's friends and Ganju either paled or flinched back. For a kid so young, he was incredibly terrifying when angered.

 ** _[Both the boys screamed in terror as they all yelled apologies before running away.]_**

 **Ichigo: There. That ought to keep those punks from showing their ugly faces around here. _[Ichigo then turns around as the spirit of a little girl appears.]_ Sorry about all that. I'll bring you by some new flowers tomorrow.**

 ** _Spirit: Thank you for coming to my defense. I think now I'll finally be able to rest peacefully. [Ichigo leans down and picks up the vase, setting it upright.]_**

"Hey what's that chain on that ghost' chest?" Mizuiro pointed out.

"That is called the Chain of Fate, my young friend." Said Jushiro. "It is the chain that links a living soul to their human body, but when that chain is severed the soul can no longer return to its body and live. Those types of souls are called Wholes, which is the first stage of death a soul takes before a Soul Reaper comes and helps them pass on, or they pass on naturally. But only when and if a Soul Reaper gets there in time. If their Chain of Fate is corroded after a long period of time in the World of the Living or if they are devoured by a Hollow, then that soul becomes a Hollow."

"How long does it take for a soul to become one?" said Tatsuki.

"It varies with each soul but usually about six to eight months, and that is only if the soul does not pass on themselves or a Soul Reaper is not there to help. If they still remain, then they are called Jibakurei – an Earth-bound Spirit you might say. If a soul stays, it means they regret leaving something behind while they were still alive."

 **Ichigo: No problem. It's the least I could do. After all, you deserve to rest in peace. _[Ichigo then turns and walks away, waving goodbye as the spirit of the girl fades away.]_**

A lot of people smiled at the heartwarming scene, especially Orihime and Rukia. ' _That was so sweet of him,'_ thought Rukia as she smiled.

 ** _Ichigo Kurosaki: My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm 15-years-old, so I'm a high school student. [The scene then cuts to night as it shows the Kurosaki clinic sign. Then shows Ichigo walking around the clinic entrance to the side where the front door is as he walks through the gate.] My family runs a medical clinic here in town. Maybe it's because we're entrusted with the lives of the living – I'm not sure – but for as long as I can remember, I've been able to see the souls of the dearly departed. [The scene then shows Ichigo opening the door.]_**

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched with a tick mark throbbing at his temple.

"Uh, Ichigo…you alright there?" Keigo asked hesitantly, noticing the dark aura surrounding his friend before he yelped, causing everyone in the room to take their attention away from the screen to the top row.

"KISUKE!" Said man yelped as he was hit in the face by a flying teacup. "You bastard, you made me narrate my life like it's some sort of sitcom TV show!"

"N-now, now, Ichigo." Said Kisuke, perspiring nervously. "Let's just c-calm down now; be reasonable."

"Yoruichi, claw out his face!"

"Gladly." the next thing the blonde knew, claw marks were on his face before the pain finally set in. Kisuke cried out in pain while Yoruichi sat licking her paws and Ichigo sat back down, satisfied. Everyone else just stared in bewilderment before they slowly turned back to the screen.

 **Ichigo: I'm home! _[The next thing he knew, his father, Isshin Kurosaki, roundhouse kicked him in the face.]_**

 **Isshin: Yah!**

 **Ichigo: Bwah! _[With a grunt, Ichigo goes down flat on his back with his legs bending over his head.]_**

Everyone but Ichigo, his family (except Uryu), and a couple of his friends blinked or balked in shock, clearly not expecting the assault. Suddenly the Shiba family started laughing. "Yes! The Shiba Greeting still lives even in the World of the Living!" Ganju announced, causing them to stare in bewilderment.

"Wait, you mean…this is…normal?" Uryu muttered, seriously confused and unnerved.

"Yep." The three Kurosaki children stated, acting like it was no big deal. To them it probably was.

"Though I've always known it as the 'Kurosaki Wake Up Call'. Guess it's a Shiba thing." Ichigo shrugged, everyone sweat-dropping. _'How am I even related to these people?'_ Uryu thought in bemusement.

"I know I'm going to regret this…" Nanao muttered. "Um, excuse me? But…what exactly is the point of this…'Shiba Greeting'?"

"It's how most of us Shiba's greet each other in the morning or at the door, by assaulting each other." Said Kukaku.

"What?! Why the hell would you greet someone of your _own_ family like that?!" Renji exclaimed as he balked at the woman. Ganju shrugged.

"It's just our way of things. We're not just a bunch of loudmouths with more spirit energy than we can use; we're very violent, too."

"Plus, it helps us keep our reflexes and guard up as well as hone our fighting techniques. In a strange way, it's a pretty effective training method!" Isshin chimed in with a grin. Everyone else stared at the family as if they were nuts, which probably wasn't that far off base. Well…except Kenpachi, Yachiru, and Ikkaku who all just started laughing.

"Now that's my kind of greeting." Said Kenpachi with a malicious grin.

Renji paled as a thought occurred to him. "And... when do you start giving each other this…'Shiba Greeting'?"

Kukaku smirked. "Every Shiba in the family first gets the greeting on the day they go to the Soul Reaper Academy, so at the age of 32. Our brother, Kaien, got it on the first day of school!"

"I gave it to Ichigo when he turned eleven!" Isshin added.Renji's jaw dropped. _'Man am I glad that I'm not a Shiba; these people are lunatics!'_

Uryu had his head down as he gave his cousin a solemn pat on the shoulder. "Ichigo, I am so sorry."

"Don't count yourself out yet, Uryu. When we turn in, I'm giving you the same treatment the next morning!" Isshin informed positively, Uryu paling.

 _"What?!"_ the other Shiba's also nodded.

"He's right. Whether you like it or not, you're a Shiba now and forever, so I'd be careful of those glasses of yours or they'll be collateral damage." Said Ganju, giving him a thumbs up (though it did nothing to reassure him).

Kukaku grinned, "Which means," before it turned malicious. "you better watch your back; you'll never know when we'll pop-up and strike. You will never see us coming." All three Shiba's gave him sinister looks, Uryu whimpering and shaking in his seat as he turned paler by the second.

"Guys…help me out here." He whispered to his cousins, the three not even trying to look sympathetic.

"I've dealt with it all my life; it's your turn."

"You're on your own, dude."

"Consider it a Kurosaki-Shiba family initiation!" he gaped at them. _'I'm going to die in this family…'_

 **Isshin: You let your guard down. Always stay alert when you enter a room and you're late for dinner again. _[Ichigo gets back on his feet and gets in his dad's face with an angry scowl and a tick mark, baring his teeth.]_**

 **Ichigo: Come on! Is that any way to welcome your own son after he just risked his life to help a spirit find peace!**

 **Isshin: Silence! _[They then knocked foreheads as the teen growls.]_ Oh, so it's the ghost's fault now, is it? I suppose it was the ghost that left your room a mess. _[They then began batting each other's hands away at rapid fire so neither could punch each other in the face as it shows Karin and Yuzu, Ichigo's little sisters, eating at the table.]_ When are you going to show some discipline? Just because you see ghosts and I don't – WAHHH – doesn't make you the boss of this household.**

 **Ichigo: Hey, it's not my fault –!**

 **Yuzu: Hey. Stop the fighting, you two. Come over here and eat your dinner.**

 **Karin: Let 'em fight. More rice for me.**

 **Yuzu: That's not very nice, Karin.**

"How can you two just sit there and eat so calmly?" Rukia questioned.

The twins shrugged. "You get used to it."

 ** _[Isshin goes in for the punch, but with a grunt Ichigo kicks his dad in the face so hard that he goes rolling backwards and slams into the wall.]_**

 **Ichigo: I gotta tell ya, Dad. For any normal, healthy high school kid, a 7 o' clock curfew is totally uncool! _[Suddenly, a spirit of a middle-aged man appears behind him. Without looking, Karin points it out to him.]_**

 **Karin: Ichigo, speaking of uncool, you have a new one.**

 **Ichigo: Hey, how long have you been there? _[Ichigo tries to batt away the spirit but it evades him, much to his annoyance.]_ Take a hike, will ya? You damn pest.**

 **Karin: [SCOFF] I'm so done. _[She puts her food down and looks behind her to give Ichigo a bored look.]_ Poor Ichigo. Dad or ghost, it's always something.**

 **Yuzu: I think he's kind of lucky to be able to see ghosts. I sort of sense their presence sometimes, but that's about it. _[Karin glances at her twin.]_**

 **Karin: I don't see what the big deal is with ghosts. I don't even believe in them.**

 **Yuzu: [GASP] Karin, I don't get how you can say something like that. I thought you had the power to see spirits, too? _[She turns fully back around.]_ [DING]**

 **Karin: I'm in permanent denial. Just seeing them doesn't make me believe in them.**

"Ouch." Yoruichi commented, liking this girl already.

 **Yuzu: Ohhh…**

 ** _Spirit: Brr. That's really cold._**

 **Ichigo: …Like my dinner.**

 **Isshin: You dropped your guard again! _[Isshin slides on the floor on his side, bringing his foot out. The next thing the teen knew, Isshin tripped him on his ankles, causing him to fall forward with a yell.]_ AH HA HA! _[Isshin then gets on his back and grabs Ichigo's arm up in the air behind him. With a grunt, the orange head flips him off his back with a scowl before the scene then shows them punching each other in the face. Isshin's fist hitting his son's cheek while Ichigo hits the middle of his dad's face.]_ Gotcha… _[With a grunt, he goes down.]_ No charge for the lesson.**

Everyone sweat-dropped at the entire scene.

 **Ichigo: Never mind dinner. _[Ichigo wipes his face with a groan and walks away towards the door where the stairs are.]_ I'm going to my room.**

 **Yuzu: Wait, Ichigo.**

 **Isshin: Huh?**

 **Karin: Wow, you sure have a way with kids, don't you? _[Isshin gets up and gives them a fake look of innocence.]_**

 **Isshin: Me?! What did I do?**

"Well for starters, how about every time I came home or wake up you always assault me in my own house!" yelled Ichigo as he butted heads with his father while they glared at each other.

"Well it's not my fault you let your guard down, and you should've been home on time! Seven o'clock means seven o'clock! Maybe if you even tried looking at a clock every now and again, I wouldn't have to do that all the time!"

"YEAH RIGHT!" they then began to batt each other's hands away like they did onscreen as everyone just stared at the comical scene.

"My future self was right; it seems you still need to learn some discipline! Learn to respect your elders, or better yet! Learn to respect your old man!"

"I'll respect you once you start to act like one, instead of having the mindset of a five-year-old in a 40-year-old man's body!" the fighting continued until Ichigo launched his father at the screen with a crash. Everyone winced as the man stuck to the screen like a bug on a windshield.

"That's…my boy…" he groaned out, slowly sliding down and dropping to the ground with a crash. Everyone stared at him, wondering if he was alright.

"Can someone scrape him off the ground; we don't need him bleeding on the floor!" another sweat-drop at that.

 ** _[The scene then cuts to Ichigo's dark room as he tosses his bag onto his desk chair and lays on his bed. From downstairs, you could hear his family talking in the background.]_**

 **Yuzu (OFFSCREEN): Ichigo is kind of having a rough time right now.**

 **Karin (OFFSCREEN): Yeah, he said he's seeing more spirits lately than ever before. _[The scene then cuts back to the main room.]_**

"More spirits, you say? That would probably mean that your reiryoku is growing exponentially more each year." Said Unohana.

"Really? Huh. By the way, who are you?"

The kindly woman smiled politely. "My name is Retsu Unohana, Captain of Squad 4 and Head Medical Examiner. A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." He nodded back in greeting.

"A doctor, huh? Makes sense." He commented off-handedly.

 **Isshin: What? Why would he talk about these things with you two instead of coming to his own dad? That doesn't make sense.**

 **Karin: Sure, it does.**

 **Isshin: Wha –? _[He pales and turns to Karin who's not looking at him as she sits backwards in her chair.]_**

 **Karin: For one thing, you're over 40. And for another, emotionally, you're still at a preschool level, Dad. Admit it.**

"Double ouch." Yoruichi commented with a chuckle as Isshin, who was finally able to get back to his seat, burst into tears at his daughter's cold words.

 ** _[Isshin then stumbles dramatically towards the large poster on the wall of his late wife, Masaki, and leans on it, distressed.]_**

 **Isshin: Oh, my dear wife. Maybe it's because they're hitting puberty, but our daughters are being so cold to me. [CRYING] What do I do? What do I do? _[With a squeak, he sadly slides down to the ground as Karin shows up on screen with a look of annoyance as her father cries in the background.]_**

 **Karin: Well, for starters, you might want to take down that poster.**

"Is that your mother?" asked Rukia. Ichigo and the twins nodded with sad smiles. "She's very beautiful."

"She was." Ichigo murmured, lost in his own memories. Didn't last long, though.

"Ooh, bigger poster!" Isshin exclaimed before running back down and standing in front of the screen. Ichigo face-palmed. "Masaki! Please, guide me into how to raise our children right. They have no respect for me whatsoever. Please tell me what to do? Where did I go wrong?" Isshin sobbed out before Ichigo threw a rice bowl at his head (where is he even getting these ceramics from?).

"Stop embarrassing us!" Ichigo shouted as almost the whole room burst out into hysterics.

"See, my dear wife? He used to be such a sweet boy, and now look at him! Our children are turning against their own father. It's just too cruel! What did I do to deserve this? Where did I go wro- YEOW!" Ichigo grabbed his dramatic father by the ear and dragged him all the way back to their seats as the whole room continued laughing. "Masaki! Masaki!"

"Quit whining and get back in your seat!"

 ** _[The scene then changed to morning, showing the outside of the house as the sound of the news from a TV was heard in the background before actually showing it. The news showing a destroyed area with a firetruck, ETMs, police cars, and an ambulance were being shown surrounding the area along with some pedestrians and some news reports.]_**

 **News Anchor: The incident occurred outside Karakura Station just after 7:30 AM as the morning commute was getting into full swing. Witnesses reported hearing a loud crash and feeling the ground shake beneath their feet. The entire area has been cordoned off.**

Everyone frowned as they realized what they were watching. "Hollows…" Renji muttered. Ichigo and his friends and sisters watched all this in wonderment, trying to think if they've witnessed strange occurrence like these before in Karakura and were wondering if they were the cause of a Hollow as well.

 ** _[As the news kept running, the scene then shows Ichigo in his uniform again as he steps into the main room. Karin is at the table eating breakfast while Yuzu is seen in the kitchen.]_**

 **News Anchor: Further details are sketchy at this point in time.**

 **Ichigo: Hey.**

 **Yuzu: Good morning, Ichigo.**

 **Ichigo: Morning. Where's Dad? _[Grabs a piece of toast from the toaster.]_**

 **Karin: Early meeting. Said he'd be late tonight, too.**

Unohana narrowed her eye in interest before turning back to question Isshin, who was fanning his ear from the pain. "Captain Shiba."

"Just call me Isshin, Unohana. Not a captain anymore, remember?"

"Very well, then. Isshin, your son has said that you run a family clinic correct? Tell me, are you particularly well in the practice of medicine?"

"Sure am! Though I'm not the best, I am a medically licensed doctor." He stated proudly.

"I see. By any chance, could there possibly be a cure to Captain Ukitake's age old illness?" that got everyone's attention as the Soul Reapers turned hopeful eyes onto the man. Isshin hummed in thought before he remembered something.

"Oh sure! In fact, that was one of the few things I looked up in when I was still in medical school."

"WHAT?! WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S THE CURE? PLEASE TELL ME!" Rukia said exuberantly in rapid fire succession, getting into Isshin's face.

"Calm down, I need to thoroughly examine him first before we do anything."

"Is Mr. Ukitake sick, Daddy?" asked Yuzu, looking concerned.

"Yes, he is, sweetheart. He's been sick for a very long time."

"What does he have anyway?" Ichigo inquired.

"Tuberculosis, maybe." Ichigo and his friends gasped.

"How awful!" Meanwhile, the Soul Reapers were completely lost.

"Tuberculosis? Is that the term for the illness that I have in the World of the Living?" Ukitake asked curiously with a slight hopeful tone.

"Well like I said, I'm going to have to thoroughly examine you for me to make that conclusion. But from what I remember since the last time I saw you, it most likely is. Tuberculosis is a lung disease where parasites eat away your lungs and heart and the only way to cure that is to hit the source of course and kill the virus itself. And from what I remember, Squad 4 doesn't exactly have the means to do that since your _way_ behind the times of medical practice. In fact, there are a lot of things in the World of the Living that the Soul Society can benefit from since the humans are so much more advanced." Everyone was astonished into silence as they absorbed this new bit of information.

"So…is it possible if I do have that disease, I can be cured?"

"Well if my observation is correct, then yeah! If you do have Tuberculosis, you can be cured in a matter of months! It's a 70-30 chance, of course." this time though, Shunsui was the one in his face as he grabbed him by his lab coat.

"Jushiro can be cured of the illness he's had for centuries in a matter of _months_?!" Isshin sweat-dropped.

"Uh…yeah?" they all sighed in relief.

"If you don't mind, Isshin, I would very much appreciate it if we could exchange notes while we find out what it is Captain Ukitake has before treating him?" said Unohana.

"Sure, I don't mind!"

 **Ichigo: Again, huh? Hm? _[He then looks up at the TV still showing the news.]_**

 **News Anchor: Explosives experts are reportedly on the scene. And we will of course pass along further details –**

 **Yuzu: Something bad happen? _[Ichigo had the toast hanging from his mouth.]_**

 **Ichigo: That's near here.**

 ** _[The scene then cuts to Ichigo walking to school through the area where the damage was done, a vase full of flowers being seen in his bag.]_**

Most of the room smiled fondly at the scene. _'He really is sweet…'_ Rukia thought warmly.

 ** _[He then walks to the alley he was at yesterday and looks around to see if the spirit of the little girl was still there.]_**

 **Ichigo: Hello? Hm? [GASP] _[Suddenly, he hears the sound of a howl and starts to run towards it back towards the city.]_**

At the sound of the howl, everyone frowned in concern for the teen onscreen, wondering if he was going to be okay.

 **Woman: Listen. Do you hear that sound?**

 **Man: What sound? I don't hear anything except the usual – [BOOM!]**

 ** _[An explosion hits the area and people start to scream and panic as they run from the scene. Groove marks that look like they were made by invisible claws appear on the side of the building. Ichigo is seen running in the direction of where it's happening while civilians flee the scene in the opposite direction. The teen stops as dust begins to gather and he shields his eyes as the roaring continues. The dust clears away enough to reveal a creature with a white skeletal mask and a praying mantis like body. Ichigo stares at it, not sure what he was seeing.]_**

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Ichigo as he and his friends (except Uryu, of course) stare at the creature in abject horror. Everyone else watches calmly at the scene.

"Daddy…" Isshin looked over and saw how scared Yuzu was, unable to look away. "Daddy, what is that? ...What is that thing?" Ichigo and Isshin immediately went to comfort the twins.

"Dad…is that…" Karin gulped. "Is that…what a Hollow looks like?" Isshin sighed solemnly at the ground. He had hoped for his children to never witness a Hollow again after what happened to Ichigo, but it was just a hopeless dream.

"Yes, Karin, it is."

The humans and the Kurosaki kids were shocked at the sight. That was what a Hollow looked like?! Yuzu began bursting into tears.

"Mommy was killed and Ichi-nii almost died by one of those things?!" Ichigo and Isshin did their best to comfort and reassure the girls while the rest of the family stood around in support. Most gave them their moment while the rest watched on in concern of the girls. Finally, after calming down the family settled with the two girls in between their father and their brother as Ichigo took the seat next to Uryu.

 **Ichigo: Whoa. What the hell is that?**

 ** _Spirit: Help me! [The dust clears away to the spirit girl from yesterday as she runs away from the Hollow. Ichigo runs with her.]_**

 **Ichigo: Hurry! _[The Hollow, seeing the two run goes after them.]_**

 ** _Spirit:_** ** _What is that thing?_**

 **Ichigo: I don't know.**

 ** _Spirit: Oh! [The girl trips and Ichigo stops to try and help her.]_**

 **Ichigo: Come on! We've got to move.**

"Get out of there; hurry!" Tatsuki muttered under her breath as she bit her nail, anxious for her friend. Keigo was pulling on his hair in worry while Orihime almost looked away in fear of watching him die. Mizuiro and Chad were staring at the screen, anxious for him. Ichigo's family wasn't faring much better as his father worried his lip, looking like he wanted to grab his son and run while the girls were frozen in fear, not able to look away. Uryu was also concerned about losing his new cousin but he knew that if he was dead then he wouldn't have been shown alive in the short clip along with there being no point to all of this future-watching business. Everyone else seemed to have forgotten this since the only people that weren't worried for his life were Ichigo, Uryu and a few others.

 ** _[It was too late as the Hollow finally caught up to them. Ichigo looks at it in panic as it roars, about to attack. Suddenly, a Hell Butterfly flutters in front of Ichigo before showing Rukia facing the Hollow in the air. She takes her Zanpakuto and in one slice, she injures it. She then lands on the ground and with a graceful leap, she slices the mask with a grunt, ending it as the Hollow is dematerialized. Rukia puts away her sword as Ichigo stares in awe.]_**

The whole room resounded in a sigh of relief, glad that he was safe. _'I'm glad I made it there in time.'_ Rukia thought in relief.

"Thank you." She turned around in surprise to see the Kurosaki-Shiba-Ishida family giving her thankful looks. Ichigo gave her a small grin. "If it weren't for you, me and that girl would probably be dead."

Rukia smiled. "I'm glad I could be of service."

 **Ichigo: Whoa. _[Rukia gives the two a glance before walking away, disappearing as people gather at the scene.]_**

 **Girl: Look at that.**

 **Man: Did you see it go?**

 **Ichigo: Hey, hold on!**

 **Man 2: What was that?**

 **Woman: Look at that.**

 **Man 2: The sidewalk's burned. There must have been another explosion. [SIRENS]**

 ** _[The scene then turns to night as Ichigo lays in bed in the dark, thinking about what happened.]_**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: Who was she? I can't make any sense of what happened out there today._**

"Wait a second. My reiatsu can record my thoughts too?!" Ichigo exclaimed in shock.

"Apparently so." Answered Byakuya.

"God dammit, Hat N 'Clogs!"

 **Ichigo: Huh? _[Outside, Ichigo sees the same Hell Butterfly fluttering through his open window and watched as it fluttered into his room. Ichigo stares at it in shock when at the same time, Rukia appears out of nowhere by going through the wall of his room. Ichigo sits up in surprise, wondering how she got in here as she stands on top of his desk with a serious look.]_**

"What the – ?! How the hell did you do that, and what are you doing breaking into my room?!"

"I don't know, maybe I'm sensing a Hollow nearby and it just so happened to lead me to your house."

"That seems a bit too coincidental considering you just saw him in town as well as who he is really." Uryu said suspiciously, causing Ichigo and most of the occupants in the room to consider this. Could it have been orchestrated somehow? If so, by whom? Meanwhile, a Soul Reaper Captain with bleached out hair and a kitsune expression on his face grinned mischievously. _'Well, Lord Aizen, it seems your plan is going accordingly as usual. Let's see if it still does…'_

 **Ichigo: What the hell are you doing here? _[She doesn't even give him a glance, thinking he can't see her. She then grabs the hilt of here Zanpakuto.]_ Ah! Put that thing away! You're not slicing me up! _[She gets down from the desk, practically floating as she looks around sensing for something.]_ Hey.**

Jushiro chuckled in amusement. "You know, Rukia, it is impolite to ignore someone when they are talking to you." He joked. Rukia grinned in amusement.

"Yes, sir. I'll keep that in mind."

 ** _Rukia's Thoughts: It's getting closer._**

 **Rukia: I feel it. [GASP] _[Suddenly, she was kicked from behind by a pissed off Ichigo with a crash as the lights turn on.]_**

 **Ichigo: Who are you, and what do you want?**

Everyone blinked at the unexpected turn of the serious atmosphere.

 **Ichigo: If you think you're a burglar, you're not a very good one. For starters, you shouldn't talk to yourself. _[Rukia turns her head from where she was laying, staring at him in bewilderment.]_**

 **Rukia: You kicked me. But I can't be seen by ordinary humans. Are you saying you can see me?**

 **Ichigo: Well, considering that that was my foot I just planted in your behind, you tell me. _[She gets up.]_**

 **Rukia: You were the one I saw in town earlier. I remember.**

 **Ichigo: Boy, nothing gets by you. _[Rukia gets close to him with her hand under his chin as she studies him curiously.]_**

 **Rukia: How very strange. You look normal, but you must be defective in some way. _[He swats her hand away.]_**

"Now that's just plain rude." Yumichika commented.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched in irritation while Byakuya frowned slightly. "Rukia, no matter who they are or what class they are from, you do not under any circumstances call someone defective. Is that clear?" Rukia looked down sadly.

"Yes, Brother." Then she stood up and turned to the teen. "I'm very sorry for calling you defective."

"It's cool, I guess." Said Ichigo, though his eyebrow still twitched in irritation before a thought occurred to him. "By the way, since you saw my face closely how come you didn't say anything about me looking like my cousin?"

Rukia blinked in confusion. "I don't know? I guess I'm trying to cope with it internally or something?" she guessed before they turned back to the screen.

 **Ichigo: I'll show ya defective.[GRUNTS] _[He tries to kick her, but she just leaps and bounce off the back of his head. This causes him to fall forward from the momentum. He glares at her.]_ Who are you?**

 **Rukia: You want to know? ...Then I'll tell you. I'm a Soul Reaper.**

"I asked for who you are, not what you are." He stated flatly while Rukia flushed in embarrassment.

 ** _[The scene then cuts to an alleyway where the spirit girl is running through, huffing and puffing with her soul chain rattling as she hides behind a telephone pole. Stomping sounds could be heard in the background.]_**

 ** _Spirit: Oh no. Not again. [Something invisible pushes against the telephone wires, causing them to break. The electricity flashes causing it to show a different Hollow for a second. Gasping, she runs again. Large footprints then show up on the ground before the scene cuts back to Ichigo's room where the two were sitting on the floor with a table between them. Ichigo looks annoyed.]_**

Ichigo eye's widened as he began to worry for the little girl's soul, watching as he saw a different Hollow chase her.

 **Ichigo: All right. So, you are something called a "Soul Reaper".**

 **Rukia: Mhm.**

 **Ichigo: And you're telling me that you were sent here on a mission by something called "the Soul Society".**

 **Rukia: Mm.**

 **Ichigo: To deal with demons like the one we saw on the street today.**

 **Rukia: Mhm.**

 **Ichigo: Which was chasing that girl's soul.**

 **Rukia: Mhm.**

 **Ichigo: That's all believable to me – ALONG WITH FLYING PIGS AND THE TOOTH FAIRY! _[With a tick mark, he flips the table in annoyance.]_**

"Well when you put it that way, it does seem a little farfetched to a human's ears." Jushiro commented with a sweat drop.

 **Rukia: How dare you? Why wouldn't you believe in Soul Reapers when you just admitted you can see spirits?**

 **Ichigo: I've never seen or heard of Soul Reapers before. And frankly, your whole story is just too incredible. I don't believe in anything I can't see.**

"That makes sense, can't believe what you can't see." Shinji commented with a smirk as he used the empty seat in front of him as a foot rest.

 **Rukia: Well, you see me, don't you?**

 **Ichigo: Well, that's true. And I'd agree with the fact that you're not human. But why don't you go play your Soul Reaper games somewhere else? Ok, little brat? _[He puts his hand on her head, causing her to look at him in annoyance.]_ Now run along.**

Rukia growled in anger.

 **Rukia: I'm a brat, am I? _[She puts two fingers up and slices the air between them.]_ Bakudo #1. Sai. _[Suddenly, Ichigo's arms were put behind his back and his legs were somehow restricted, causing him to grunt as he fell forward.]_**

The raven-head smirked in satisfaction, glad she got her revenge. Ichigo and his friends were shocked and confused.

 **Ichigo: [GRUNTS] I can't move. What did you do to me?**

 **Rukia: Paralysis. I've used what's called a Kidō on you. It's a high-level incantation only we Soul Reapers can cast. It's useless to struggle against it. You're just wasting your energy. I may appear young to you…but I have lived nearly 10 of your life times. I would kill you on the spot for your insults if it were not against my orders. So _you_ , little brat, be grateful.**

 **Ichigo: You've got nerve.**

 **Rukia: And now – _[She unsheathes her Zanpakuto. Ichigo, thinking that she was about to kill him, closes his eyes. But he hears a gasp and opens in confusion.]_**

Orihime gasped in fear before she sighed in relief. _'Thank goodness…'_

 **Ichigo: Huh? _[He turns to his right and sees the same ghost from last night, the hilt of her sword on his forehead.]_ It's that ghost from yesterday.**

 ** _Spirit: No. Please don't…I don't want to be sent to the Underworld._**

 **Rukia: You needn't worry, because you are bound for a better place – the Soul Society. There, your soul will be at peace.**

"No offense, but the way you said that sounded pretty creepy."

"I was not being creepy!"

"It did sound creepy."

"SHUT UP, RENJI!"

 ** _[She then lifts her sword, leaving behind a glowing kanji character on his forehead. The whole room glows as the spirit sinks into the floor, looking at peace. When the glowing stops, what's left of the man is a Hell Butterfly.]_**

 **Ichigo: Where'd he go? What did you do to him? _[She sheathes her sword.]_**

 **Rukia: I've sent his spirit to the Soul Society. It's one of the main responsibilities of a Soul Reaper. People here sometimes call it "passing on". Now I'll explain to you why I'm here. And I'll use small words, so you can understand it. _[She reaches into her uniform for something.]_ There are two types of spirits in this world.**

 **Ichigo: Huh? _[The screen then shows a crudely drawn rabbit surrounded in little red hearts.]_**

 **Rukia: The first kinds are the normal spirits called Wholes. The ghosts that you see are usually this kind. _[The scene then cuts to the next drawing. This one a crudely drawn bear surrounded by a black background with lightening flashing around it.]_ The second kind are evil spirits known as Hollows. The Hollows attack people, living or dead, in order to devour their souls. _[The screen then backs up to show her holding a drawing pad with the drawing on it.]_ Any questions before I go on?**

Practically everyone sweat-dropped at how childish and crudely drawn the illustrations were. Well, except Rukia and Byakyuya who respected his sister's art. None could be said for Ichigo and Renji, of course, as they stared flatly at the screen. "First of all, why do your drawings suck so bad? Second, yeah. Can you draw better?" that earned him a punch in the face. Ichigo glared at her with a tick mark. "What the hell, you crazy midget!"

"Do not insult my art work, you incompetent fool!"

"Who the hell said that was 'art' anyway?!"

"He has a point, after all these years your drawings still suck." That earned both hotheads a punch in the face.

"Shut it, Renji! And you, I don't care if you're royalty or not, you clearly have no sense of taste in the world of art!"

"Whoever told you that was art is either a liar or blind since that looks like a kindergartener drew that! In fact, my sisters and I can draw better than you!"

"Oh yeah? Well then prove it; I'd like to see you draw better!" Ichigo shrugged.

"Fine! Give me your sketchpad." Rukia stared dumbfounded, not expecting him to take on her challenge. With a determined frown, she pulled it out and handed him her sketchpad she keeps in her shihakushou. Ichigo took the pad and pencil and started to draw. Some were curious as they tried to get a better look at what he was drawing – Uryu and his sisters being the closest with his classmates looking over his shoulders – while others just talked amongst themselves as they waited. After ten minutes, Ichigo handed it back to her. Rukia looked at the drawing and blanched, her eyes widening as her grip on the pad tightened. Everyone watched her carefully.

"Well, Rukia?" Renji asked. Rukia slumped her head in defeat before handing it to him. Renji gave her a confused look before grabbing it and looked at the drawing. Whatever he saw it astounded him as he gaped in amazement. Ichigo smirked smugly. "Holy crap!" on the sketchpad was a perfect sketch of the Hollow and the spirit of the girl drawn in great detail. Byakyuya took the pad and did a slight widening of the eyes, which was his version of a double-take. _'Impressive.'_

"Aw, come on! I wanna see!" Rangiku whined as she reached for the sketchpad and soon enough, it was being passed around the whole room (Rukia sulking in her seat with Renji patting her back sympathetically). His friends and family had already seen what he drew and were already amazed (Keigo complaining about why Ichigo kept it a secret from him), especially Uryu. He had no idea that his new cousin had such a knack for art like him.

"Wow, Big Brother! Your art has gotten really good!" Yuzu exclaimed in amazement. Meanwhile, his father started to put on a show again as he burst into proud tears.

"Oh, Ichigo! You make Daddy so proud! I knew you would have your mother's talent!" he then sobbed into his arm before pulling out the picture. "Masaki! I wish you were here to see how talented our son has become!"

"WILL YOU GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!" said teen shouted, blushing in embarrassment.

 **Ichigo: First of all, why do your drawings suck so bad? _[As payback for that comment, she draws a mustache on his face.]_ AH! You'll pay for this.**

Ichigo blinked as his statement was repeated before growling and twitching at what she did to his face. Rukia (whom got her sketchpad back) smiled victoriously while others laughed hysterically.

 **Rukia: Let us continue with our lesson, monsieur. There are two main jobs for Soul Reapers. _[Another crudely drawn rabbit is shown with an arrow pointing towards kanji characters that says, "Soul Society."]_ First, to lead Wholes to the Soul Society through Konso, as I just did. _[Showing another crudely drawn bear with an "x" on it.]_ Second, to exorcise the Hollows wherever we find them. _[The scene cuts back to the spirit girl as she continues to run from the Hollow. The two continue talking in the background.]_**

 **Ichigo: The Hollow with the bug body this afternoon. Why was it chasing that girl?**

 **Rukia: That I don't know. We have yet to fully understand what motivates the Hollows to do the things they do. _[The spirit girl then trips and falls to the ground as the Hollow goes to grab her, but it pauses.]_**

Ichigo's eyes flashed in panic, feeling useless at not being able to help her.

 ** _Hollow: [SNIFF] I can smell it – an especially tasty soul. It's nearby. [SNIFF] Along with the smell of a Soul Reaper. [The spirit shudders as she watches the Hollow walk away in the direction he smelt the scents, which was towards Ichigo's place. The Hollow damages a building with a howl as the scene cuts back to the teen's room, Ichigo looking up, hearing the roar.]_**

The teen sighed in relief, glad that she was okay.

 **Ichigo: [GASP] What was that?**

 **Rukia: One thing we do know – there is still a second Hollow prowling somewhere nearby.**

Rukia frowned in confusion along with some of the other Soul Reapers. "Odd, I should've been able to hear that Hollow miles away, let alone sense it." She commented out loud.

"How come you didn't?" Ichigo inquired.

"It's probably because of your spirit energy, Ichigo." Urahara offered. Ichigo looked up at him confused.

"My spirit energy?"

"Yes, because of how vast and untrained it is, it probably blocked her off from sensing the Hollow. You're unconsciously producing so much of it without pulling it in to your body that it metaphorically becomes a sound proof wall." That concerned Ichigo greatly.

"Will I be able to control it?"

His father gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Don't worry, your old man is gonna teach ya how!" he stated positively. Ichigo looked at him unsure before nodding.

 **Ichigo: Then what the hell are you waiting for? Go out and kill it.**

 **Rukia: …I would, but I can't seem to detect its location. Usually, I have no trouble finding a Hollow that's close by. But here it's as if my senses are being jammed by some powerful force.**

 **Ichigo: What are you, deaf? There's something huge howling out there. That has to be a Hollow.**

 **Rukia: Something howling? What do you mean? _[At this, the Hollow howls and she looks up with a start before getting to her feet.]_ [GASP] Now I hear it. Definitely a Hollow.**

 **Ichigo: That's what I've been telling you. _[Suddenly, a crash was heard as Yuzu screams in the background.]_**

"Yuzu!"

 **Ichigo: That's Yuzu! _[Rukia takes off towards the door.]_ Hey, wait! Untie me! _[As she opens the door, she immediately pauses as she is hit with immense spiritual pressure.]_**

 ** _Rukia's thoughts: This spirit pressure is among the strongest I've ever felt. How could I have not have sensed it earlier?_**

 **Yuzu: Ichigo? [GROAN] _[Yuzu is seen struggling towards Ichigo's room but barely makes it with the injuries she's sustained as she collapses to the floor.]_**

Ichigo's heart nearly stopped at the sight of how injured Yuzu was. He reached over and touched her head to reassure himself that she was safe.

 **Ichigo: Yuzu! What happened?**

 **Yuzu: [GASP] Ichigo, Karin's been… [CRIES] Ichigo…you've got to save her.**

"Karin…" Ichigo and his father held the girls closer to them, not only to reassure them but themselves. The girls were staring fearfully at the screen.

 **_[With that, she passes out. Rukia checks her vitals as Ichigo struggles to free himself.]_**

 **Ichigo: Hey! You've got to let me go!**

 **Karin: [SCREAMING] _[With a gasp, Rukia runs down the stairs towards the commotion.]_**

 **Ichigo: Hey! Gotta break free. _[Using his head as leverage, Ichigo struggles to get to his feet as Rukia is seen leaping down the stairs. She then stops as she's in the main room where there is a giant hole in the wall, Karin in the Hollow's fist as she screams and struggles.]_**

"KARIN!" Ichigo and Isshin exclaimed.

"Dad! Ichi-nii! Don't worry, I'm right here." She reassured even though she was just as scared. The Soul Reapers were giving calculating looks while the humans and the Shibas were staring anxiously at the screen.

 **Karin: [SHOUT] PUT ME DOWN! _[Rukia unsheathes her Zanpakuto, ready to face the Hollow as Ichigo finally shows up to the scene by falling down the stairs, still bound.]_**

 **Rukia: Stay out of it!**

 **Ichigo: [GRUNTS] Damn it. _[He then painstakingly gets to his feet with his arms still bound behind him. Rukia stares in shock and awe.]_**

"How very interesting, to think a young teenager is able to stand up under a Kidō spell by nothing but his own will." Mayuri muttered to himself. "Hmm…"

 **Rukia: How can he be on his feet when he's under my spell? _[Ichigo moves to where Rukia is looking.]_ Fool. You'll only get in the way.**

 **Ichigo: Shut up! _[His eyes widen when he sees his sister screaming in the Hollow's grip.]_ Karin! _[With all his strength, Ichigo tries to break free from the Kidō.]_**

"You fool! Are your trying to damage your soul?!" Rukia exclaimed.

 **Rukia: Stop! The Kidō is too strong for a human to break. If you keep trying, you'll only cause damage to your soul.**

 ** _[Ichigo doesn't listen as he continues to struggle, kanji characters appearing around him. She gasps as he glows.]_**

 ** _Rukia's thoughts: What? He's breaking the Kidō. That's impossible. [With a shout and a huge flash of light, Ichigo finally breaks free. He then runs towards the Hollow.]_**

Almost everyone gaped in amazement. "Incredible!" Jushiro said breathlessly. "To think one so young without any powers is able to break a Kidō spell by sheer force of will and determination itself."

 **Rukia: Don't do it! _[Grabbing a folding chair, he raises it in the air and charges.]_**

 **Karin: Ichigo! Get me out of here! _[The teen leaps to swing at it, but the Hollow just batts him aside as if he were a bug. Ichigo goes tumbling down the street with a grunt. He then tries to get to his feet.]_**

Everyone winced in pity at the sight, especially the Soul Reapers. It must have hurt since the boy was in his human body and they heard that humans are more receptive to pain than Soul Reapers.

 **Ichigo: Karin!**

 ** _Hollow: I found you. [The Hollow tries to punch him, but the teen moves out of the way at the last minute, hitting the ground instead. The Hollow howls in pain when Rukia appears and grazes it's arm with her sword. In the process, it drops Karin. Luckily, Ichigo caught her in time as the Hollow disappears. Ichigo cradles his sister who's passed out.]_**

Most of the room sighed in relief that the girl was safe.

 **Ichigo: Karin! No!**

 **Rukia: Don't worry. She'll be all right. The Hollow left without devouring either of your sisters' souls.**

 **Ichigo: Are you sure?**

 **Rukia: Yes. It's seeking a specific soul to eat, one with a much higher concentration of spirit energy. In fact…the Hollow earlier was hungry for that soul, too – not the girl's.**

 **Ichigo: But why?**

 **Rukia: For some reason, most of your spirit energy was hidden deep within you until now, when you needed it to save your sister. That's why I didn't sense anything unusual about you when I arrived. It also explains why the Hollows haven't come after you. The spirit energy you have bottled up inside you started to pour out when you made contact with that young girl's ghost. _[The screen shows Ichigo and the spirit girl touching hands before turning back.]_ As a result, your soul became exposed. Those two Hollows today detected your soul through that girl. And they were using her to track it down. Which means…the Hollows are really after you.**

Ichigo was shocked, feeling his blood run cold. "…What? My sisters got hurt…because of me?" he said dreadfully. "It was my fault this happened?"

 **Ichigo: Those things…want me? _[At that, the Hollow reappears with a howl.]_**

 **Rukia: It's back! Get out of here!**

 **Ichigo: No! So, the vicious attacks on that poor girl were because of me?**

 **Rukia: That's one way to look at it.**

"Rukia!" Byakuya scolded.

"What the hell, Rukia?!" Renji whispered as he glared at her incredulously. Rukia gasped as she realized how she made it sound.

"Oh! No, Ichigo! I didn't say it was specifically your fault! I-I swear, I meant – "

"My fault…it's all my fault." Ichigo continues to mutter causing his friends and family to give him worried looks. Everyone else glanced at the orange head in concern.

His sisters hugged their brother close. "No, Ichi-nii! Please don't blame yourself for this."

"We don't blame you at all, you need to remember that." Ichigo hugged his sisters close as Isshin soothingly rubbed his back.

"It wasn't your fault at all, you didn't know this would happen." Ichigo just nodded slightly, though he couldn't help but feel guilty all the same. Uryu gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, showing his support while his friends tried to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. Ichigo felt grateful for that, feeling slightly better.

 **Ichigo: And now both of my sisters could wind up dead, and the whole thing is my fault?**

 ** _Memory Yuzu: Help us, Ichigo. [GRUNTS]_**

 ** _Memory Karin: Ichigo, do something!_**

The girls gave their brother's hand a squeeze, silently reminding him that it really wasn't his fault.

 ** _[With a growl, Ichigo runs up to the Hollow.]_**

 **Rukia: Stop!**

 **Ichigo: Coward! Quit attacking others. If it's my soul you want, come and get it… Fight me one on one, you Ugly Bastard! _[With a howl, the Hollow extends its neck to devour him.]_**

 _'Fool…'_ was the majority of what the Soul Reapers thought.

 **Rukia: Oh, no!**

 ** _[She runs to try and protect him. Just when the Hollow was about to devour Ichigo, blood spurts out as Rukia leaps in front of him with her Zanpakuto jammed between its teeth. She struggles to get it out and does so by breaking and dislodging one of its teeth. The Hollow howls in pain as Rukia is down on her knees, blood spurting from her wounds on her shoulder. Ichigo stares in shock as she collapses to the ground face-first.]_**

"Rukia!" Ichigo and Renji exclaimed.

 **Ichigo: Soul Reaper!**

 **Rukia: [GASPS] You…are a fool. How could you possibly have thought you were any match for a Hollow? _[She then tries to get to her feet.]_ Did you really think that everything would be over if you gave them your soul? One soul doesn't satisfy them for long. Ugh. If you don't stop interfering, we're all going to end up as its food! _[The Hollow howls as it grabs it face in pain as Rukia weakly uses her arms to try and get up. Not able to, she then crawls to a telephone pole and leans her back against it.]_ I'm too injured to fight. Do you…want to…save your family?**

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, having a good idea on what her future-self was about to do.

 **Ichigo: Of course, I do. If there's a way, then tell me how. _[She grabs her swords and lifts it up towards him.]_**

 **Rukia: It will only be temporary. But you must become a Soul Reaper yourself.**

Everyone gasped and Byakuya tensed. "You idiot! Do you realize how much of a federal crime that is?!" Sui-Feng exclaimed. Ichigo frowned in confusion, feeling a bit apprehensive at the meaning.

"Federal crime? The hell do you mean?" Sui-Feng turned to him and bowed respectfully.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but in the eyes of the Soul Society – and if it were anyone else other than you, Sire – one of our most respected rules that we must abide is to never give Soul Reaper powers to a human. Doing that act is a cause of treason, quite possibly imprisonment or execution." Ichigo's eyes widened while the humans gasped in horror. Execution?! The teen's eyes narrowed as he thought of something and crossed his arms.

"Well riddle me this, did she have any alternative in the situation?"

Sui-Feng stared at him in surprise, not expecting a rebuttal to her statement. She frowned as she tried to make her argument. "Well maybe, if she – "

"Did she have a choice at all?" Ichigo interrupted, not giving her a chance to make her statement.

"There's always a choice – "

"Tell me, are we in the Soul Society at all?"

"Well no – "

"Did she even give her powers to a regular human?"

"Well no!"

"Then your argument is null and void!" Sui-Feng stared at him in shock. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her. "Now then, as it sounds to me Rukia didn't break any laws and we are currently not in the Soul Society, obviously."

"W-well no we aren't, My Liege, but our laws clearly state – "

"-Plus, this _clearly_ happens in the alternate timeline, which will probably not exactly happen in the way you are thinking."

"Please, Sire, if you just – "

"- _And_ you can clearly see that she had no choice in the matter. In my opinion, she was just doing her duty as an honorary Soul Reaper and did what was necessary as the situation deemed it so. So, unless she gets a court hearing and if we are in the Soul Society, I'd suggest you shut your trap!" Ichigo stated with finality, causing Sui-Feng to stare at him speechless while everyone else was staring at him in amazement and admiration. His family and friends most of all. Never before have they seen this side of him; sounding so confident and passionate, so authority-like. "Tell me, soldier, what's your name?"

"Sui-Feng, Sire…C-Captain of Squad 2 and head of the Onmitsukido."

 _'Punishment Force, huh? So, they are like the cops or assassins of the Soul Society, I see.'_ Ichigo nodded as he glared at her darkly. "Well then, Captain Sui-Feng, are we gonna have a problem?"

"…No, Sire. But – "She said reluctantly.

"Good. Now unless she actually broke that specific law, I don't think we need to continue this discussion any longer. So, I'd suggest you analyze the situation much closer next time instead of nit picking and passing judgement so readily. Are we clear?"

"Sire – "

"Are. We. Clear! Captain Sui-Feng?" the short captain stared at him before sighing in resignation, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. Swallowing her pride, Sui-Feng put on a stoic expression and bowed.

"Understood, My Liege." The teen nodded, glad that she understood. Everyone was in a dazed silence as they tried to process what just happened. Byakyuya relaxed, glad that he will be able to keep his promises to his parents and to his wife. The silence didn't last long though.

"HOLY SHIT!" Keigo exclaimed in amazement, causing everyone to jump especially Ichigo since the idiot yelled in his ear. "I mean, holy shit! Ichigo, that was totally awesome! You were like 'no she didn't. Uh-uh! What!' Ugh!" Tatsuki smashed her fist into the idiot's head.

"You idiot! Next time warn someone before you give the whole room a heart attack!" she then smirked in Ichigo's direction. "Though he was right about something, that was totally badass there, Ichigo." Chad gave him a thumbs up as Orihime clapped.

"That was so cool, Ichigo!" Ichigo just blushed in embarrassment. All he did was stick up for what he believed in; he didn't think it was fair for Rukia to be punished for something she had no choice in the matter in, especially when she didn't technically break the law and was just doing her job to help and protect his family.

"That's my boy!" Ichigo groaned as Isshin began to laugh ecstatically. "He definitely has the Shiba blood! You are definitely future clan head material!" again Ichigo groaned as he felt a headache coming on.

"Why are we even related?" Ichigo muttered miserably, causing the man to burst into tears.

 **Ichigo: What?**

 **Rukia: You must take my Zanpakuto and run it through to the center of your being, so that I may pour my powers into you. _[Hollow howling]_ I can't guarantee that you will live. But if it doesn't work, it won't matter. **

**_[The Hollow howls as it stomps towards the two. Ichigo and Rukia ignore it as they stare into each other's eyes with a smile.]_**

 **Ichigo: Then give me that blade, Soul Reaper.**

 **Rukia: My name is Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki. _[The Hollow then launches at them as Ichigo grabs ahold of the blade with both hands.]_**

 **Ichigo: And my name is…Ichigo Kurosaki!**

 ** _[And with that, he runs the blade through his chest, causing the area to light up from the amount of spiritual pressure. Suddenly, the Hollow's arm is sliced clean off, shocking it as Ichigo somehow appears behind it. Ichigo wearing a shihakushou with a large sheathe on his back and a huge Zanpakuto as big as him in his hand. Ichigo lifts the sword and leans it over his shoulder, his spiritual pressure creating a dust cloud behind him. Rukia stares in awe and shock, wearing a white kimono covered in her blood.]_**

The humans stared in amazement as they sat at the edge of their seat while the Soul Reapers and exiles were paying close attention to the teen's movements.

 **Rukia: How could this have happened? I meant to give him only half of my powers. But somehow, he's taken nearly all of it.**

"You took all of it?! How?" Rukia shouted in confusion and frustration.

"I don't know, you were supposed to give me half, weren't you?"

"Hmm, quite possibly you must have subconsciously taken more than you should because Miss Kuchiki's powers were just the boost you would need to awaken your own Soul Reaper powers." The blonde scientist theorized causing everyone to turn their attention towards the man.

"My own Soul Reaper powers?"

Kisuke nodded as he waved his fan. "Of course, don't act so surprised; you are part Soul Reaper, after all. It would be obvious that you would someday develop your own powers, quite possibly even create your own Zanpakuto without an asauchi." Ichigo and the humans looked a bit confused while the rest were staring in shock.

"Zanpakuto? Asauchi? What are those?" Urahara waved it away.

"We'll discuss that in a bit; it looks like you're winning." At that, they all turned back to the screen excitedly. Yoruichi turned to look up at Urahara where she laid in his lap.

"What I want to know is how he was able to use flash step?" she mumbled. Kisuke petted her head.

"Who knows, maybe it was instinct?"

 **Ichigo: This ends now!**

 **Rukia: Huh? What kind of being is he?**

 ** _[Ichigo charges with a yell, his blade stretched out to his side.]_**

 ** _Rukia's thoughts: I've never seen a human with spirit energy this strong. That's what was jamming my senses before. [The screen then shows a flashback of her not sensing the spiritual pressure until she opened the door before going back to the fight.] I've never heard of a human with enough strength to break the Kidō on his own. [Then it flashes back to when Ichigo broke the Kidō before going back again with Ichigo raising his sword.] And I have never seen a Soul Reaper wield such a huge Zanpakuto._**

Ichigo frowned in annoyance. "That's gonna be a hassle; why the hell is it so huge?"

"It's probably because you don't know how to control your reiatsu, so you wouldn't know how to control the size of your Zanpakuto." His father provided as Ichigo's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh, so that's a Zanpakuto. Wait, you can actually do that?!" the majority of the Soul Reapers' heads nodded at that. Ichigo stared in shock. "That makes no sense!" some chuckled at his confusion.

 ** _[The Hollow tries to stomp on him, but Ichigo just slices its foot off as he glares up at it; the Hollow falling forward.]_**

 **Ichigo: You will pay the price for hurting my family, you Hollow Scum. FEEL THE WRATH OF MY BLADE! _[With a shout, Ichigo raises his Zanpakuto above his head before delivering the finishing blow by slicing through its mask. Rukia stares in awe as the Hollow dematerializes, closing the scene with Ichigo's credentials.]_**

 **Ichigo Kurosaki: 15-years-old**

 **Hair Color: Orange**

 **Eyes: Brown**

 **Occupation: High School Student and…**

 **"SOUL REAPER"**

 **[ENDING THEME SONG: Life is Like a Boat.]**

When it ended, everyone applauded as the lights turned on and they stood to stretch their legs. "That was such a pretty song ending. I wonder who sung it?" Orihime wondered as she and Tatsuki went to take a much-needed bathroom break.

"Who knows, but whoever it was had a pretty voice." Said Tatsuki.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was talking with the guys while the rest just milled around or went to get more snacks. "You were so cool, man! You were like 'Wham!' and then you were like 'Zoom!' while that Hollow was all like 'Roar!'" Ichigo just stared Keigo, not sure if it was a compliment or if the guy was just being weird.

"Uh…thanks?"

"Dude I'm serious! You were like some samurai warrior or something!" Keigo insisted enthusiastically.

"You gotta admit, Ichigo, you were pretty heroic looking." Said Mizuiro as the girls came back, catching the end tale of the discussion.

"Ichigo is like a superhero, where he uses his superpowers and saves the day. Or like an anti-hero vigilante where he goes against the laws and captures the villains by night and is a normal person by day!" said Orihime.

"You watch too many cartoons, Orihime." Said Ichigo.

"Yeah, be realistic. How about change the normal to prince instead, eh Mr. Royalty?" Tatsuki nudged the teen teasingly. Ichigo looked at her in exasperation.

"Please don't call me that. I'm still trying get used to this whole royalty-noble concept. In fact, do it to Uryu instead; he's a prince too."

"Don't bring me into this."

"So, Uryu, what kind of powers do Quincies have anyway?" Mizuiro asked.

"Well, for Quincies our initial weapon of choice is the bow and arrow. We shoot our opponents with arrows made out of the reishi that's in the air, and we make our weapons by using this Quincy cross that hangs off our wrist as a conduit to guide it into the shape we want." Pulling up his sleeve he showed them the silver bracelet with a cross hanging off it.

"Oh, can you show us?" said Orihime, curious. Uryu lifts his arm out to the side and with a bit of concentration, reishi particles gather into the charm and in an instant a glowing bluish-white bow made out of reishi appears. His audience awes at the sight. "Wow, that's so cool!"

Uryu smiles slightly as he pushes his glasses. "Yes well, it may be cool but unfortunately even with this power we Quincies gain we can't actually purify Hollows like Soul Reapers can. Our powers actually destroy Hollows instead of sending them off to the Soul Society."

"What?" the others gasp and Uryu nodded grimly as he dissipates the bow.

"Yes, which is one of the reasons why Soul Reapers and Quincies have an animosity towards each other. Sometimes I regret having this ability but no matter what, I'm still a proud Quincy and I do what I can to defend myself and the people around me, even if it means I destroy a soul."

"Well at least you still have your pride." Tatsuki commented.

Uryu nodded. "Though Ichigo and the twins might be a bit different since they're part Soul Reaper, so maybe with their Soul Reaper lineage they might be able to purify Hollows with their arrows. Would you like for me to help you train?"

"Sure, though maybe not the twins yet but that's their decision." Uryu nodded before a thought came to him.

"Hmm, maybe with your Soul Reaper lineage, perhaps there could be a way for me to purify Hollows after all. I'm gonna have to ask Urahara about that."

"Makes sense."

"What else can Quincies do?" Tatsuki inquired. As Uryu explained the techniques and weapons Quincies can use, Rukia and Renji decided to come over to the group just as he finished explaining the Seele Schneider and their purpose. It was perfect timing since Ichigo had a question that needed to be answered.

"Rukia, Renji!"

"Oh, so you know what my name is now, huh?"

"I always knew, I just didn't want to say it until now. Besides, your name isn't really as forgettable as you looking like a pineapple head."

"Why you – "Before he could retort, Rukia elbowed him in the gut.

"Anyways, we just came over to hang out is all, since my brother and my captain are busy talking with the other captains." Said Rukia, ignoring her friend's glare. "Oh, and Ichigo, your father wanted to let you know that he's over there talking with Captain Unohana about the medical practices in the World of the Living and that he'll help you train in some of your Soul Reaper abilities."

"'Kay, I'll talk to him about that."

"We've also been assigned by our captains to make sure we, along with any of the Soul Reapers here, to be you and your friends and families guards in order to protect you from Captain Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant in case they think of doing any funny business that involves you all." Said Renji.

"I see. Well I don't think I will need it often, but if it helps keep my friends and family safe then I'm all for it. Thanks, by the way." The petite raven began to look a little hesitant about something. "What, something wrong?" she shook her head and smiled.

"Ichigo, I also…wanted to thank you for defending me back there, even though you didn't really have to."

"Ah no worries, I'm glad I could help. I just didn't want you to get into trouble for something stupid and untrue. Especially since in that video you were going to help me have a way to protect my family, even though you knew you were breaking the law."

"But even so, I've pretty much damned you from having a normal life anymore." Ichigo waved it off.

"It was bound to happen one way or another because of what I am, and I never really had much of a normal life anyway. Besides, normal is overrated." He smirked. "And now I have a way to protect everyone I care about better, so therefore I should be thanking you." At this, Rukia smiled. _'He really is like Kaien, and much more…'_ "Hey by the way, what is a Zanpakuto and asauchi exactly anyway? Is it those swords you guys carry around?"

The petite raven put on her teaching face at the question. "Yes actually, a Zanpakuto is our main weapon in Hollow exterminations. An asauchi is a nameless Zanpakuto that new Soul Reapers acquire when they go to the Soul Reaper Academy or a low-raking Soul Reaper has when they have not trained enough to learn their names."

"Names?" she nodded as she unsheathed her blade and held it out horizontally in front of them.

"Yes, a Zanpakuto is not just a weapon to Soul Reapers, it's literally an extension of our souls. When Soul Reapers acquire Zanpakutos, a part of our soul transfers over into the sword itself; creating a symbiotic being."

"A weapon that has a mind of its own, interesting." Said Uryu. "Do all Zanpakutos have a name of their own?"

"Correct. Each Zanpakuto is unique and transforms itself depending on their wielders' personality while still having their own consciousness. The Zanpakuto is its very own person; they know us more than we know ourselves while still having their own feelings. Sometimes they even represent our deepest desires or our darkest emotions that we keep hidden. It's practically a way for us to see who we are as a person on the inside; self-reflection you might say. They are our partners and help protect us whenever we need them."

Orihime was awestricken. "Cool, it's like your very own soulmate."

Rukia chuckled. "Basically, yes."

"What forms did you actually mean, though?" said Ichigo.

"Well, there are two different forms that Zanpakutos morph into as the Soul Reaper and the Zanpakuto grow stronger together. There is Shikai, which is the first released state a Soul Reaper trains into. Each Shikai form and ability it has are also unique and only able to be used by the wielder itself. Some are Kidō-type, which have only abilities while others are melee-type which are just powerful blades in different forms (though there are those that have both too). It takes a regular Soul Reaper nearly years to learn their names and achieve Shikai, but with you there might be an exception, of course.

"Usually, seated officers are able to gain and master Shikai, but there are some that are strong enough to gain and somewhat master Shikai as well. To gain Shikai, Soul Reapers must metaphorically put their hearts into their sword and go into their inner world – your very soul to be precise and where the Zanpakuto spirit dwells. Then you must communicate with the living spirit and hope beyond hope that you are worthy to earn its name. Some fight with their spirits in order to prove themselves that they are strong while others talk with them to prove that they are, even finding things about yourself that you've never known."

"Do you guys have Shikai?" they both nodded.

"We do."

"Can we see it?" Orihime asked excitedly. Rukia looked uncertain.

"I don't know, I'm gonna have to ask my captain if I can." Renji waved it off.

"Ah go ahead and show them, I'm sure it's fine. They'll probably think Ichigo allowed you to show them or something." Rukia thought about it before nodding.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." She then held her Zanpakuto in front of her, the blade pointing to the right. "My Zanpakuto's names is Sode no Shirayuki," she grinned mischievously, "and this, is her Shikai." She then started turning her blade clockwise. "Dance…" as she kept turning, the air around them began to get colder as the sword began to turn white with a white ribbon tassel forming at the end of the much longer pommel now. "Sode no Shirayuki." With a complete turn, the blade pointing down, the whole sword was as white as snow. The tsuba was hollowed out looking like a round snowflake, and a long white, flowing ribbon hung off the pommel of the hilt. To say the least, the Zanpakuto was gorgeous. Everyone couldn't take their eyes off the blade as they stared and gaped in awe.

"Oh wow, your Zanpakuto's Shikai is beautiful." Orihime said breathlessly. Rukia smiled down at her blade proudly at the fact.

"Yes, she truly is."

"Rukia's Zanpakuto is an ice and snow type and is stated to be the most beautiful Zanpakuto in the whole Soul Society." Renji stated proudly as the raven unreleased her sword. "Though it's not the strongest since that title belongs to Captain Hitsugaya, whom also has an ice type."

"What about you? What's your sword's Shikai?" Tatsuki asked and Renji grinned smugly before unsheathing it. He put his Zanpakuto at a slanted downward angle and put a hand over it.

"This is my Zanpakuto. Roar, Zabimaru!" with a swipe of his hand, the whole blade changed becoming wider with pronged teeth on the edge. The blunt part of the blade was black while the pronged edge was silver. The whole blade looked like it was connected into sections; it was impressive and deadly looking.

"Cool! That is so badass!" said Keigo. Renji looked smugger at the compliment.

"Thanks. Zabimaru is a whip like sword that can stretch on with almost no limit and can retract almost instantly." He grabbed the top segment and pulled, showing stretchable metal like threads. "These six segments are where Zabimaru can come apart."

"Not bad," said Ichigo and Renji's chest puffed slightly, "for a guy with weird eyebrows." The redhead face-faulted at that, his sword losing his release state. Rukia and his friends sniggered as Renji got to his feet, glaring with tick marks on his head.

"Why you, Carrot Top! I'm gonna kill you for that!"

"Bring it, Pineapple Head!"

"Alright, alright, break it up you two." Said the midget as she got in between the two, having gotten over her laughter. "Can you both at least wait until after I'm done explaining." The two glared and growled at each other before scoffing and turning away. Rukia sighed in exasperation. "Anyways, other than Shikai there is a second and final release form; Bankai."

"Bankai huh?"

"Yes, it is the hardest and most trial endurance release form to gain as well as the strongest and the Zanpakutos' truest form. It takes 10 years or more to achieve it and more to control for the average Soul Reaper. And like so, Bankais vary depending on the wielder itself. In order to achieve it, Soul Reapers must materialize their Zanpakuto spirits into the real world and fight it into submission. That is where the hard part and trial endurance come from; some even die trying to achieve it, but it is a risk willing to take to gain such power."

"Do you guys both have Bankai?" said Mizuiro, but they shook their heads.

"Sadly no, I don't really have the reiatsu to materialize my Zanpakuto spirit."

"I'm sort of there, but right now only the captains have Bankai." Renji added with serious narrowed eyes. " _That's_ how hard the training is."

"Yeesh, that is brutal." Keigo stated with a grimace.

"No kidding, though it makes me curious. I wonder what my Zanpakuto's name is, and what would its Shikai and Bankai look like?" Ichigo wondered. Renji suddenly guffawed as he smacked the floor in his hilarity. The teen had a tick mark as he glared at the redhead. "What's so funny?"

"Like you could ever achieve Bankai? HAHAHA! What a joke! Shikai I get but Bankai?! HAHAHA! Give me a break!"

"You asshole, just you watch I'll achieve it no sweat! And I'll probably achieve it faster than you!"

"Yeah right!" he stated as he got up off the floor.

"Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Said Rukia. Renji looked at her in confusion.

"Huh? Seriously, Rukia, you can't honestly believe that."

She nodded without hesitation. "I do, actually. After all, with humans you can never know since it's a fact that they grow and evolve exponentially faster than Soul Reapers do. Plus, Ichigo is the very definition of impossible since he is a hybrid of all four races and a royal descendent of the Soul King. So, it wouldn't be surprising if he did it under the 10 years maximum." She stated as a matter of fact. The pineapple head gaped at her, feeling betrayed. Ichigo on the other hand looked smug.

"Ha! Take that, Pineapple Head!"

Renji closed his mouth and glared at him. "Oh yeah? How about you put your money where your mouth is, Carrot Top!" They then got in each other's faces as they grinned sinisterly, fighting auras surrounding them as electricity seemed to rebound off between their stare down. The others stared between them in interest. This outta be good.

"Is that a challenge, Lieutenant?"

"Humph. Sure is, Your Majesty." Ichigo grinned wider.

"…Well alright then, what's your wager, huh?" Renji scoffed as he backed off.

"Loser has to wait on them hand and foot for a whole day."

"A day, huh? Why don't we raise the stakes, then? How about a week?"

"Oh, I see. Feeling lucky aren't we, kid?"

"I know I'm lucky, old man." That earned the other a tick mark. "Yo, guys! How long do you think I can get?' he asked the group, unaware they were gaining an audience as practically everyone was silently listening in after the two Soul Reapers released their Zanpakutos.

"Now you're just being cocky; what's the matter, can't decide for yourself?"

"Shut up. So, what do you say guys? Wanna join in on the pool?"

"I'm in!"

"Me too!"

"So am I."

"Sounds like fun!"

"I don't mind."

"What the hell. Should be interesting."

"Anyone else?" he announced to the crowd since he knew all of them were listening in. Almost instantly, everyone got in on the excitement and soon enough, they had a pool going. Ichigo smirked cockily and held out his hand. "Well, Renji, looks like you got yourself a deal."

The redhead smirked back as he grasped the hand. "Good luck, you're gonna need it."

"Count on it. Better get ready, cause I'm gonna make you kiss my feet."

"You wish." With that, they shook on it. Urahara organized the pool by handing out pieces of paper for everyone to write down how long will it take for Ichigo to achieve Bankai since it was no doubt in any bodies mind that it will be shown in future segments of the show. After everyone finished, they all dropped them in his hat before he sealed the opening shut with a Kidō, so they wouldn't fall out and stuffed it back on his head. Just in time too since the lights started to dim and everyone went back to their seats.


	3. Ch 3 The Soul Reaper's Work

Ch. 3 The Soul Reaper's Work

 ** _BUZZ!_**

 ** _A Hollow is seen on camera as it roars when suddenly a black trench knife attached to a line of white cloth wrapped on the handle is thrown at the center of the mask. Once it was yanked out, the Hollow disintegrated into reishi before the camera panned to the back of Ichigo in his Soul Reaper form holding the trench knife in his left hand; he was shown standing on the roof of a building. "Nice shot, Ichigo; you're a master at this." Said Yoruichi behind the camera. Ichigo looked back and scowled deeper in annoyance as he turned fully towards the camera, sheathing his blade. His long hair, tied in a ponytail, billowing in the wind._**

Ichigo and the rest of the room were in awe of his Soul Reaper form. "Whoa, Ichigo, is that you? You look super rad!" said Keigo. Ichigo just nodded wordlessly. It was still the standard uniform, but it was different. He had tattoos on his wrists, hands, chest and ankles. There was a black and white band around his collar, but he had two white shoulder plates crossing over his chest in an "x" shape, which were holding two different shaped blades making him wonder if those were what his Shikai blades would look like. On his back was a large black Khyber blade wrapped in cloth while the trench was sheathed on his hip. There was also a plate on his left shoulder that had red scales adorning it and a white cloak with black and white markings tied around his waist. To say the least, he looked awesome.

Everyone was so amazed, but the most shocked were the elder Soul Reapers. "A dual wielder…" Jushiro said breathlessly, snapping Ichigo from his trance.

"What?" Jushiro and Shunsui turned to him with shocked looks.

"You're a dual wielder." He repeated causing almost the whole room to gasp in shock. Ichigo looked confused.

"O-kay…and why is that shocking, exactly?"

"To this day, there have been no other Soul Reapers that can wield two Zanpakutos." Said Shunsui. "Jushiro and I are the only dual wielders in the Soul Society." That made his eyes bulge.

"No way."

"You just keep getting weirder and weirder, Ichigo." Said Karin. Ichigo glared in annoyance at her. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, Rukia."

"Hm?"

"Do you think those are my Shikais?" Rukia looked up at the screen and studied the blades before nodding.

"Yeah, I believe so. Why?"

"Well, I took down that Hollow like it was no big deal, so why do you think I'm in Shikai now?"

"It might be because of your reiatsu." Said Jushiro. "It's possibly so vast that your Zanpakutos are in permanent Shikai."

"Great…" He stated sarcastically before becoming curious. "Though I am curious, I wonder what's my Zanpakuto's name…or names? Can a Zanpakuto have more than one name?" the two dual wielders shook their heads.

 ** _"That Hollow was weak, and how many times do I have to tell you to stop following me with that stupid camera?!"_**

 ** _"Now don't be like that, Ichigo." Yoruichi turned the camera to Kisuke who had his fan in front of his face. "We're just making some memories is all." The camera turned back to the orange head as Ichigo groaned in annoyance before grabbing his Khyber blade from his back and held the blade downward, the cloth unwrapping itself and showing the slit in the pure black blade along the back of it. She turned the camera back and forth to the two as the blonde man had a nervous look. "Uh…Ichigo? What are you doing?"_**

 ** _Turning back to Ichigo. "You. Deal with him however you like." With that, he let go of the blade and before it could touch the ground the blade morphed in a bright light before taking shape. In the blades place was a whited-out version of him with black sclera and yellow Hollow-like irises, and instead of a scowl there was a maniacal smile on his face; a white Khyber blade on his back._**

"What the hell?!" The teen exclaimed in shock, noticing that he was saying that a lot lately. His friends had the same reaction while the Soul Reapers and the Vizoreds nearly drew their swords. "What the hell is that thing, and why does it even look like me?"

" _That_ is an inner Hollow." Everyone turned to see Shinji standing with a stoic but unsure expression. "Or at least I think it might be?" suddenly, they heard a sinister chuckle echo in the room.

 _"Very good, but you're only half right, Piano Mouth."_ Came a double-toned voice. And then, out of thin air materialized two figures behind Ichigo. One was the same whited-out figure of Ichigo, only difference was that it was the present version of him with a plain white shihakushou; the grin on the other hand still the same. The other figure was a completely different person. This one a middle-aged man with a stoic expression on his face, wearing brown tinted, semi-transparent wraparound sunglasses covering his eyes and a stubbled beard. His long ragged black hair seemed to be in constant motion with an invisible wind along with his clothes: a tattered white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, amorphous black overcoat with burgundy highlights that flare our in ragged ends. Ichigo's friends backed away from the figures as the teen stared at them in shock and confusion, but what really froze his blood was the one that had his face. The doppelganger looked to him and grinned creepily. "Hey there, King. Nice to officially meet ya…face to face."

As one, all the Soul Reapers in the room drew their Zanpakutos at him on guard. Though the only one to draw on the other figure was the old man who had his walking stick turned into a Zanpakuto. Ichigo's friends and family backed away to the stairs to stay out of the way, everyone except Ichigo who just stood frozen in place as he kept staring at them. _'Who are they? What's going on here? And why does this guy look like a whiteout version of me?'_

"Your Majesty, please back away from them." Said the Head Captain, but Ichigo stayed put. Either out of fear or stubborn curiosity to know who they are. Yamamoto sighed before he signaled his lieutenant and Ichigo was suddenly grabbed and instantly at his father's side who grabbed him and put him behind him with his sisters. "Yhwach, how is it that you are here? And why have you inhabited this child?"

Ichigo and Uryu balked. "Wait, that's Yhwach?!" they exclaimed in shock. The cloaked man gave the Head Captain a calm look before answering.

"I can assure you, Head Captain Yamamoto, that I am not that man as you see. I simply take his form because I was a part of him; I was him, but now I am not. I am a part of Ichigo now, I am no longer connected to him in any way." _'A part of me, what does he mean?'_

The Head Captain hummed in thought. "Then why exactly have you both appeared?"

"We're here to speak to the King." the other spoke as he looked around blandly, even though he was surrounded by a dozen blades. The blades came threateningly closer, but he just gave them a bored look, not in the least bit threatened. Ichigo though didn't feel the same way.

"Leave them alone!" he shouted, and the Soul Reapers turned to him in disbelief. Ichigo struggled before he finally broke free of his father's protective grip and stood in front of his family and friends. "Let them go!" Lieutenant Kira spoke up.

"But, Your Majesty – "

"Let. Them. Go. They came from my soul and they're here to talk to me." Ichigo ruffled his head in frustration. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but as a prince of the Soul Society I order you to let them go!" all the Soul Reapers looked uncertain of this, but hesitantly they lowered their blades and backed away from the two spirits; though they kept them out since they weren't ordered to sheath them. The older one looked around calmly while the other smirked and stuck his blue tongue out at them before they faced Ichigo. Ichigo tensed before stepping towards them. "Who are you guys?"

The Hollow-like Ichigo chuckled. "Who do you think we are, King?" the teen narrowed his eyes.

"You both came from my soul, but I don't know exactly. The old man said that you were Yhwach, but you say you're not and that you just look like him." the man nodded.

"That is correct. I am in the form of what Yhwach has looked 1,000 years ago."

"Then who are you?"

"…I am a physical manifestation of your Quincy powers."

"'Physical manifestation'? Then if you're just a manifestation, why are you here?"

"'Cause this dickweed thought it would be a good idea if he took my place once you get your Soul Reaper powers!" the other spirit exclaimed. Ichigo turned to him confused.

"What do you mean, 'take your place'? Just who or what are you?"

The other smirked. "Isn't it obvious? If he's the physical manifestation of your Quincy powers, then what am I?" Ichigo looked him up and down.

"You're my inner Hollow."

" _And_ …" he gestured him on and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"You're my Zanpakuto!"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Give the man a prize!" everyone gasped in disbelief.

"That's impossible! How can a Hollow like you be His Grace's Zanpakuto?" Sui-Feng questioned and Ichigo glared at her.

"Sui-Feng!" she flinched back before yielding for him to continue. Ichigo turned his gaze back to the smirking double. "So, if you're my Zanpakuto, how are you a Hollow as well?"

"Well technically, I'm a Hollowfied Zanpakuto. See, when that Hollow transferred over to you when you were born it fused with me, making me your inner Hollow as well as your Zanpakuto."

"Okay…so what did you mean about him taking your place?" the Hollowfied Zanpakuto turned to his companion with a grin, gesturing towards Ichigo.

"Well…" the other narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance before sighing in resignation.

"I was going to replace him once you've awakened to be your sole blade…because I did not want you to become a Soul Reaper." There were some raised eyebrows at that.

"What…? Why would you do that? It can't just be because the animosity between Quincy and Soul Reapers, is it?" the old man shook his head.

"Far from it, I wanted to stop you from being a Soul Reaper…because I believed it would only lead to pain and death. If you had become one, I would have to kill you myself." The man looked to the screen of the future Ichigo and gave a quirk of a smile before turning back to the teen. "But now, seeing as how strong you would have become in that alternate life – and knowing that you will become that strong again – there is no need for me to interfere in your potential, because I know you will be fine." Ichigo looked at him with new eyes. He finally understood, the man wasn't trying to impede his power. All he wanted was to protect Ichigo from a life of sorrow.

"…So, what happens now?" he asked hesitantly.

"Since there is no need of me, I shall go back to your soul…and simply be your Quincy powers."

"Wait, what?!" Said Ichigo and his Zanpakuto before their eyes widened when they realized that he was starting to fade, and for some reason neither of them liked that.

"No, wait!"

"Hold it!" as one, they both grabbed the man's wrists before he could completely fade away. To say the least, he was definitely surprised at the intervention. "You don't just get to fade away like some fairy godmother, Bub! You're here now, the least you can do is stay and help train King!"

"Yeah, Old Man! And besides, do you not see that second blade that I have? That obviously means I didn't let you fade away either and that I believed – even now – that you are my Zanpakuto as much as he is; you're not going anywhere. You are my Zanpakuto, whether you like to be or not!" the man stared in disbelief before he closed his eyes and gave a deep chuckle.

"'Whether I like it or not', is it? And there is nothing that can be said to dissuade either of your minds?" they just gave him identical determined glares and he knew they were too stubborn to let him leave. "I see…If that is what you wish, then I shall stay." With that said, his legs reformed and they both sighed in relief before they let go.

"So, what happens now? I mean, I don't even know either of your names?"

"It does not matter to me what you call me, but if you must call me something you shall call me Yhwach. That way, it will be less confusing for you since you will be calling on both of us with the same name when you enter Shikai." His partner scoffed.

"Well, I have a name, but I don't know if you can even handle calling out my name since you haven't trained once." The double sighed in faux remorse. "But I doubt I'll be able to keep it a secret from you, since you'll obviously hear it soon enough. So, you can call me whatever you want." The Hollowfied Zanpakuto noticed someone staring at him intensely and glanced behind Ichigo to see Orihime looking at him fearfully. He grinned at her and she flinched back, feeling like a deep soul crushing darkness was surrounding her. _'That man…he looks just like Ichigo, but those eyes. They look so cold and unfeeling; it's terrifying! He seems nothing like Ichigo!'_ Orihime thought as she trembled at the sight.

"Hm, any name, huh? I'll just call you Shiro." He stated flatly, causing most of the occupants, especially the Hollow Ichigo to face-fault.

"Seriously?! Out of all the names in the world, you go with one that is the very definition of me?!" he said incredulously in Ichigo's faces. The teen just shrugged uncaringly.

"Never said I was good with names. Plus, it's easier to remember, or would you rather I call you 'Hollow'?" Shiro hissed vehemently at the label before stomping his foot in frustration.

"Fine!"

"Good, now then. So…what is your names?" the two glanced at each other before nodding.

"As you call on us, you will have a release phrase in order to unlock our power." Said Yhwach. "This is our phrase: Tear the heavens asunder…"

"Zangetsu." They said together before their forms started to disappear into fragments of reishi, gathering above Ichigo as the light started to take shape until finally it formed into a fully sheathed katana. Ichigo held out his hands and caught it successfully. He studied its sealed state admiringly, though he was kind of expecting it to be that huge ass one he had in the first episode. But oh well, better this than that ginormous monster. The Zanpakuto was the length of a nodachi blade with a black sheath and a long blue string attached to each end of the sheath to wear on his back. The tsuba was rectangular with crescent designs on it and a red cloth wrapped the hilt with two blue tassels hanging from the pommel.

Ichigo smirked. "Zangetsu, huh? Nice to meet ya both." In response, the sword vibrated as if in greeting in his hands. All at once, his friends and family came over to admire the sword. His family congratulating him on his achievement while his friends admired the blade.

The Soul Reapers on the other hand were speechless; to think the boy couldn't surprise them anymore. But again, were they wrong. Here was a boy who did the impossible and was able to not only manifest his sword spirit, but also make a power manifestation into his sword as well and get the name of his Zanpakuto without any effort. Just who was this boy?

"Congratulations, Ichi-nii!"

"Nice work, Ichigo."

"Man, Ichigo, this sword is so cool!"

Isshin looked at the Zanpakuto carefully and smiled in nostalgia. "Look at that! Your Zanpakuto looks almost exactly like mine does."

Ichigo stared in surprise. "Really?"

"Sure, though the guard on mine is different and mines a little shorter, but almost identical. And its name is close to mine too: Engetsu!"

"'Slaying Moon' and 'Scathing Moon' huh? Great, as if I need to be any more like you." Isshin burst into tears at that. After all the excitement, everyone finally returned to their seats; Ichigo leaning his Zanpakuto against his shoulder and holding it close.

 ** _Shiro chuckled. "Now when you say, 'however I like', what does that imply?"_**

 ** _"Just don't kill him is all, Shiro."_**

 **'Are you kidding me?!'** Ichigo jumped in his seat and looked around in confusion.

"Ichigo?" his father asked in concern. "What's up?"

"I-I don't know, I think I just heard Shiro's voice in my head?"

 **'THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DID, IDIOT!'** The teen flinched at how loud that was. Isshin on the other hand looked proud as hell.

"That's because you probably did!" Said Isshin, repeating Shiro's statement. "Though it usually takes years and a true bond with a Soul Reaper and their Zanpakuto to actually hold a conversation outside of battle." Cue the picture. "Do you see this, Masaki! Our beautiful boy really is a prodigy! Now he just needs to be a prodigy with the la- " _SMACK!_ Ichigo cut him off by hitting him in the face with the sheathed end of his sword.

 **'Hey, I ain't done talking here! What the hell, you calling me the same shitty ass name in the future as well as here! Where do you get off calling me that? That's not fair!'** Ichigo just grinned in amusement.

 ** _Shiro pouted. "Aw, but that's no fun if I can't kill him." he sighed dramatically before grinning gleefully. "Oh well, I'll still have some fun." With a sonido, he zipped off and Yoruichi turned the camera to Kisuke just in time to see Shiro steal his hat and boomed away out of reach. He smiled in victory as he waved the hat in the air like it was a trophy. "Ha ha! ~ Lookie here, I got the hat! ~ I win!"_**

 ** _"Hey! Give it back!" Shiro stuck his tongue out and pulled his eyelid down in mockery._**

 ** _"Nah nah! Try and get it, Clogs!" Shiro laughed hysterically in his psychotic laugh as he realized something. "Oh man, instead of 'Hat N 'Clogs' It's just 'Clogs'!"_**

 ** _"I said give it!" with that, they started playing cat and mouse in sonido and flash step._**

 ** _"Over here! Over here! Nope, I'm over here! Too slow! Can't catch me!"_**

 ** _"Shiro, this isn't funny! Give it back, please!" Yoruichi turned the camera back to Ichigo who looked bored at the whole ordeal._**

 ** _"Are you sure he's gonna be okay?" she asked._**

 ** _"Hm? Oh, he's fine, he won't kill him. Maybe maim him but that's all."_**

Everyone sweat-dropped at the statement while Shiro laughed maniacally in Ichigo's head. He wasn't the only one laughing though, Yoruichi and Ginta were having a ball at the blonde's misery with Kisuke pouting in the corner.

 ** _"…I meant Kisuke?"_**

 ** _"Hm? Oh, right. You'll probably won't get him back unscathed."_**

 ** _They suddenly heard screaming and the camera turned to see Urahara running and screaming as Shiro chased him around swinging his sword. The Zanpakuto spirit laughing psychotically with the hat on his head. "Try and get it now, Motherfucker!"_**

Most of the room either sweat-dropped or laughed. "…Ichigo?"

"…Yeah, Karin?"

"…Shiro's insane."

"…Yeah, I figured as much."

 ** _Ichigo sighed before unsheathing the other blade on his hip and pointing it downward next to him. "You. Watch him for me." He let it go and like the other, it glowed before morphing into a middle-aged man with flowing hair and a cloak._**

 ** _Yhwach sighed. "If I must." He said tiredly before he used hirenkyaku to catch up to them._**

Ichigo smiled slightly. _'See, Ossan? I did accept you after all.'_

 _' Hm, it appears you have…'_he replied, though the teen could tell in his tone that he was grateful for it.

 ** _Suddenly, a phone rang and Ichigo reached in his shihakusho for the iPhone he had in the hidden pocket. He looked at the caller ID before answering._**

 ** _"Yeah, Yuzu? …Yeah, we're done for the night. Uh-huh…Uh-huh…Alright, I'll pick it up and be home soon. Bye." He hung up before he put the phone away. "Hey, Shiro!" she turned the camera back to show Shiro twisting Kisuke into a pretzel on the ground with Yhwach standing watch. "Stop playing with Urahara and let's get going! We gotta go home!"_**

 ** _"What?!" Shiro exclaimed in outrage as he stood up, finally letting the blonde go whom flopped and panted on the ground. Yhwach just wordlessly took the hat off the other's head and dragged the man away by the shirt collar. Shiro began to have a tantrum as he stomped on the ground and flailed his arms around like a child. "No fair! You never let me have any fun, King! Come on, just let me slice him and dice him already!"_**

Kenpachi laughed gleefully. "I really like this guy's style."

 ** _"Quit whining already, I need to pick up the last ingredient for Yuzu! She told me she's making your favorite!" that gave Shiro pause before he smiled gleefully._**

 ** _"Really? YAY! YAY YAY YAY!" He screamed in glee before he sonidoed and the camera turned to where Ichigo and Yhwach were waiting as the Hollowfied Zanpakuto appeared on his other side before they started walking away. Yhwach already turned back to sword form while Shiro walked with a skip in his step. "Will she have the dumplings I usually like?"_**

 ** _"Yeah."_**

 ** _"Yes!" said Shiro before he too went back to sword form and Ichigo flash stepped away. Yoruichi turned the camera to her with an amused smile._**

 ** _"Well, that's all folks. Stay tuned for the next segments of these short clips." She positioned the camera towards the ground where a miserable looking Hat N 'Clogs is lying face down with his hat on his head. "Say bye bye, Kisuke." He just waved tiredly at the camera before it went black._**

 ** _BUZZ!_**

 **'Hey, King?'**

 _'What now?'_

 **'About that bet?'**

Ichigo scrunched up his face in confusion. _'Yeah, what about it?'_

 **'You know?'**

 _'Know what?!'_

 _'I believe what Shiro is implying is that did Rukia not inform you that the only way to gain Bankai is to materialize your Zanpakuto spirit and beat it into submission?'_

 _'Yeah, and?'_

 **'Oh, for god sakes, if you were able to materialize us there THAT MEANS YOU'VE ALREADY GAINED BANKAI! And how many years did future Hat N 'Clogs say he was recording this from?'**

 _'11 years…'_ at this, Ichigo had a mischievous smile.

 **'Exactly.'**

"Yo, Renji." Renji looked over to him before raising a wary brow at the smirk on the teen's face. "Remember that bet of ours?"

"Yeah…what about it?"

"And how many years is this in the future?" he egged on and Renji paled as he realized what he was implying. "Go on, say it."

The redhead gulped. "…11 years." He muttered. Ichigo held up his ear.

"Huh? What was that? I can't hear you."

"11 YEARS, YOU BASTARD!" the teen held up his fist in victory.

"Ha! 11 years! Which means I would have gained my Bankai somewhere in that time frame." At the announcement some of the occupants in the room groaned while the rest cheered in victory at winning the bet.

"That-that doesn't tell us anything! It didn't show us _when_ you've achieved it!" he argued, even though he knew he was just grasping at straws. He was _so_ going to lose this bet.

"Doesn't matter, it means I still achieved it under the ten-year time frame!" Ichigo shouted as he laughed victoriously while Renji sulked.

"Alright, why don't we all just settle down and see on the screen before we make any more assumptions." Said Ukitake and everyone conceded.

"Would someone please explain to me what everyone is talking about?" said Keigo, looking all sorts of confused. His classmates either groaned or shook their heads at his stupidity. Tatsuki bonked him on the head for that.

 ** _[OPENING THEME SONG: Asterisk]_**

 ** _[The opening showed a pink cloudy background before slowly coming towards the screen was Isshin Kurosaki's feet as he screamed in the background with dreamy harp music.]_**

 **Isshin: GOOOOD MOOOORRRNIIIIIIIIINNNNGGG, ICHIGOOOOOOOO! YAAAAA-HAA!**

 ** _[The screen showed the outside of the second floor before a resounding crash was heard. Ichigo's windows cracking before switching back to Ichigo kneeling over his father with a pissed off look. He held his father's face down, causing him to bend backwards on the ground by his toes]_**

Everyone sweat-dropped at the scene. "Get ready Uryu, 'cause that's what you're going to deal with every morning."

His cousin balked at him. "What?!"

 **Isshin: Aw!**

 **Ichigo: You nuts? What kind of sick, twisted freak attacks his own son while he's just lying there sleeping?**

 **Isshin: You are getting good! It looks like there's nothing left for me to teach you, my son.**

"You say that every time."

 **Ichigo: [GRUNT] Huh? _[Ichigo suddenly looked confused before he grabbed Isshin by the shirt and brought him up. His father having a red mark on his face.]_ Wait a minute! What about Karin and Yuzu's injuries from last night?**

The Kurosaki children's eyes widened. That's right, they completely forgot that the family was attacked in the last episode.

 **Isshin: Huh? Injuries? What are you talking about?**

 **Ichigo: What?**

 ** _[The screen then showed the outside of the house where a hole from last night was. The Kurosaki family there observing the damage with Ichigo looking dumbfounded and confused.]_**

 **Isshin: It's a miracle! A truck plows right into our house and none of us even get so much as a single scratch!**

 **Karin: What's more miraculous is the fact that none of us even woke up when it happened.**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: I don't get it. Their wounds are completely gone._**

 **Karin (OFFSCREEN): The driver didn't even stick around.**

 **Isshin (OFFSCREEN): Don't worry. They'll probably come back to apologize later.**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: They think that a truck did all this?_**

 **Karin (OFFSCREEN): Sure.**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: Could this have been the work of that Soul Reaper?_**

"Wait a minute!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I'm glad Karin and Yuzu are alright and all, but I just don't get it!"

"Yeah, how could we think that a truck hit our house when we obviously weren't!" added Karin.

"And how come we don't remember any of it except Ichigo?" Yuzu chimed in.

"I probably erased your memories except Ichigo's of that night." Rukia explained.

"And Tessai and I must've come in to heal your wounds." Urahara chimed in. "I also probably told your father to go along with the truck story." Ichigo and Karin gave their father the stink eye. Isshin chuckled nervously.

 **Yuzu: Ichigo! You better hurry up and eat breakfast, or you're gonna be late!**

 **Ichigo: Yeah.**

 ** _[The screen turned back to the hole in the wall before showing scenes of Rukia from last night and back to Ichigo.]_**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: I wonder if she went back to that place she was talking about. The Soul Society._**

Rukia shook her head negatively. "Doubtful, if you really did take almost all my powers, then I would have to stay in the World of the Living and get myself a gigai from Urahara."

"What's a gigai?" asked the teen.

"A gigai is an artificial body that we Soul Reapers use in case we are severely weakened, and we have to use one to regain our powers." Toshiro explained.

"It also helps us be seen in the World of the Living too. Which is great for those who love to shop!" added Rangiku. Toshiro gave her an irritated look.

"Oh…Wait, Dad, are you in a gigai too?" Ichigo questioned. Isshin gave him a thumbs up with a bright smile.

"Yep! Been in this thing for 20 years." His kids gave him weird looks.

"That's creepy." Said Karin.

 ** _[The screen then showed the title "Bleach 02" before switching to the high school, the bell ringing in the background. It cuts to where Orihime and Tatsuki were walking in the halls towards their classroom while other students were just milling around.]_**

 **Tatsuki: Orihime! Did you bring lunch today?**

"Speaking of food, Captain when do we eat? It's been hours since we ate breakfast." Rangiku whined.

"You just ate a whole bowl of popcorn an hour ago." Toshiro gritted out.

"Yeah, but that wasn't filling. I need sustenance for my tummy!"

"Don't worry, as soon as we're done here. I can make all of us a special dinner as soon as we find the kitchen!" said Yuzu.

"Oh, Your Highness, you don't have to do that for us." Said Rangiku.

"What hey, Rangiku, if the girl wants to cook for us you should let her do – Ugh!" Omaeda got hit in the face by a teacup. Ichigo glared at him angrily.

"Don't talk about my sister like she's some personal chef to you! You can eat scraps for all I care, Fatass!"

"Fatass?! Who do you think you – "He was cut off by his Captain as she knocked him to the ground with a flying kick for his insolence. She ground her foot into the side of his face with a stern and angry look.

"Do not talk like that towards His Excellency and Her Highness, you fool! You may be a noble, but they are Royalty and you are not even a member of the Five noble clans; you are nothing compared to them." She got off him and bowed respectfully. "My apologies for my bumbling lieutenant, Your Majesty. He doesn't know when to respect authority or to think before he opens his mouth." Ichigo gave her a considering look before nodding and pointing the hilt of his sword at the oaf.

"Make sure you keep a rein on his mouth, before I kill him myself." She stood up fully and nodded.

"Understood, Sire." She kicked him again before sitting down. Most of the lieutenants and the people who knew how Omaeda acted shook their heads ruefully and in embarrassment.

"Idiot." Scoffed Ikkaku.

 **Orihime: Mm-hm! Leftover Taiyaki-style ramen with wasabi and honey. _[The scene showed an imagery of what foods she was describing before showing Tatsuki's disgusted look.]_ Would you like some, Tatsuki?**

"I think I just lost my appetite." Said Renji as the rest of the room looked green at the imagery. Well, accept…

"Ooh! That looks interesting, I wanna try!" everyone except Orihime looked at Rangiku as if she was insane. Orihime beamed happily since none of her friends wanted to try her food.

"Isn't it? You should try my other creations!" they then began to talk about her most recent creations, Orihime emphasizing "how good" they were while Rangiku had looks of interest and excitement. Everyone else looked like they wanted to hurl.

 **Tatsuki: That's OK.**

 **Orihime: But it's really good! Ah! _[Suddenly, Ichigo accidently bumped into Orihime, causing her to fall to the ground and drop her stuff all over the floor.]_**

 **Ichigo: Oh, it's you. Hey, Orihime.**

Tatsuki slapped her friend on the head. "Ichigo, you idiot! You knock her down and you don't even apologize?"

Ichigo rubbed his head in irritation before turning to Orihime apologetically. "Sorry about that, Orihime, I guess I just had a lot on my mind."

Orihime waved her hands in front of her as she blushed, embarrassed. "Oh, n-no worries Ichigo. I could tell you did, s-so it's fine."

 **Orihime: Oh no, I'm sorry!**

 **Tatsuki: Ichigo! You knock her down, and that's all you can say? What the heck's the matter with you?**

 **Ichigo: Sorry about that. Uh, you gonna be alright?**

 **Orihime: Uh-huh.**

 **Ichigo: Here.**

 **Orihime: Huh? _[She looked up to see a hand offered to her. She followed the hand and was startled to see his face up so close to hers before getting up and backed away.]_ Ah! Oh, no! that's alright, really! I-I – have v-v-v-volleyball! [GIGGLING NEVEROUSLY] That's right! Volleyball!**

 **Tatsuki: Orihime!**

 ** _[She then ran off in the other direction, the two looking after her confused.]_**

Ichigo looked confused, did he say something wrong? Meanwhile, Tatsuki had pulled Orihime down as she whispered to her in a low tone. "Orihime, are you nuts? How could you just walk away from a golden opportunity like that?"

"I-I I don't know, I guess my mind just went blank and got shy." She whispered back sadly.

 **Ichigo: What's the matter with her?**

 **Tatsuki: What could it be? Maybe it was your ugly mug!**

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance. Tatsuki stuck her tongue out at him.

 **Tatsuki: By the way, why are you so late? I mean, it's time for lunch already.**

 **Ichigo: Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll tell you later.**

 ** _[Ichigo walked off with Tatsuki looking after him. The scene then cuts to the classroom number.]_**

 **Keigo (OFFSCREEN): Hey, Ichigo! I heard a truck crashed into your house last night, dude!**

"Oh yeah! Keigo is on the big screen!" his classmates shushed him.

 ** _[The scene showed Ichigo at his desk with Chad, Keigo and Mizuiro standing around him in concern.]_**

 **Ichigo: Pretty much.**

 **Mizuiro: So, did you clean it all up yet?**

 **Ichigo: What are you, kidding? It's gonna take forever.**

 **Chad: Need any help?**

 **Ichigo: Huh? Huh? _[He turned to his right and looked up in confusion to see Chad looking down at him; the camera showcasing the Mexican descendant's tall stature. Ichigo sweat-dropped.]_ That's OK.**

 ** _[The scene then showed the back of a girl with raven hair walking towards the group unaware.]_**

Ichigo balked as he looked from the screen to the back of Rukia's head and back. He twitched as he choked on air. Shiro was in hysterics.

 **Keigo: Yeah, Chad. I mean, you could end up bringing the whole house down, you know?**

 **Ichigo: Hey, what have we got next?**

 **Mizuiro (OFFSCREEN): Language lab.**

 **Rukia: Hello. You're Ichigo, aren't you?**

 **Ichigo: Uh? Wha? _[He turned and stared, baffled and shock. Behind him was Rukia in a school uniform, grinning cleverly at him.]_**

Ichigo hands twitched in front of him as he grinded his teeth while his classmates gaped in shock. Renji snickered behind his hand. "Gah, guh…YAAAHHH! WHAT THE HELL!" Ichigo exclaimed in shock and disbelief as he clenched his fists and stood to his feet with his Zanpakuto in his clenched fist. "What the hell are you doing at our school?" she looked at him confused.

"What's wrong with me there? I'm probably there to watch you closely before I help teach you how to become a Soul Reaper since I clearly can't actually do my job with the way my powers are – er were – will!" Man, time travel was so confusing.

"That doesn't mean you have to go to my school!"

 **Rukia: I'll be sitting next to you from now on. My name is Rukia.**

"Like hell you will!"

 ** _[Ichigo jumped out of his seat and screamed a little before pointing at her.]_**

 **Ichigo: It's-it's you!**

 **Keigo: Hey, Ichigo! What's wrong with you?**

 **Chad: You two know each other?**

 **Rukia: 'Course not, we've never met before! Isn't that right, Ichigo?**

Ichigo's eye twitched at the audacity of the situation, still feeling pissed. _'Seriously, how do I keep getting myself into these messes?!'_

Shiro laughed hysterically. **'You're just a trouble magnet, aren't cha King?'**

 _'Quiet you!'_

 **Mizuiro: Rukia's a brand-new transfer student.**

 **Keigo: Nice to meet you!**

 **Rukia: It's a pleasure. _[She held out her hand in greeting and Ichigo looked at it confused.]_**

 **Ichigo: Uh? _[On the inside of her hand said, "Make a scene and you are dead." He stared in shock.]_**

"Why you…"

 ** _[She giggled mischievously before the scene cuts to them outside the school, Ichigo freaking out and pissed off.]_**

 **Ichigo: Alright, you freaky little nut job. What the hell do you think you're doing?**

 **Rukia: How scary, you big brute. Jeepers, you're not going to hurt me, are you?**

"How about you stop using that stupid voice you're using! And no one says 'Jeepers' anymore anyway." Ichigo gritted out, hating that annoying tone.

"Why, what are you going to do?" she said in that voice, earning a tick mark on his head as he glared at her. Rukia laughed in amusement.

 **Ichigo: First of all, you can knock it off with that goody two shoes act, OK?**

 **Rukia: Well, I think it's pretty good, considering I learned it overnight.**

 **Ichigo: Alright, forget it. So, tell me just what you're doing here now, anyway? Weren't you supposed to be heading back to your Soul Society or whatever it was?**

 **Rukia: I can't. Only Soul Reapers can go back to the Soul Society. I haven't the power to return anymore.**

 **Ichigo: What do you mean?**

 **Rukia: Last night, I lost almost all of my powers as a Soul Reaper. I'm afraid they were all absorbed into you, Ichigo.**

"Hey! Don't blame this on me!"

 **Ichigo: Huh? I wouldn't know anything about that.**

 **Rukia: Thanks to you, for the time being, I'm stuck in this ridiculous gigai form.**

 **Ichigo: What do you mean by gigai?**

 **Rukia: It's a temporary body that serves as a vessel in an emergency. If a Soul Reaper is drastically weakened, they reside inside of a gigai until their powers come back.**

 **Ichigo: Oh, now I get it. So that's why the others were able to see you before, right?**

 **Rukia: Precisely. And so, until all of my powers come back, it's up to you, Ichigo, to perform the duties of a Soul Reaper.**

 **Ichigo: Huh?**

 **Rukia: It's only natural. You now possess the strength of a Soul Reaper. You do not have the right to refuse your calling.**

"Now wait just a damn minute! Don't order me around like you have a right to and say I have no say in it!" Ichigo stated angrily. "I may be alright to have powers now, so I can protect my family, but the least you can do is ask for me to help you in your job; that's not how you ask someone for a favor!" Rukia looked at him in shock before nodding apologetically.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I guess I forgot my manners there. I'll try and ask someone for a favor differently." Ichigo scoffed before slouching in his seat, hugging his sword closely.

"Yeah, whatever. As long as you know." He muttered, feeling embarrassed. Rukia smiled at how embarrassed he looked before turning away.

 **Ichigo: No way!**

 **Rukia: What?**

 **Ichigo: My monster fighting days are over. That was a one-time deal.**

 **Rukia: Don't be ridiculous Ichigo. You did just fine yesterday.**

 **Ichigo: That was only because my family was in danger. But it's not like I'm ready to go and fight for complete strangers or anything. Sorry to disappoint you. _[Ichigo started to walk away with Rukia staring at his back resolutely.]_**

 **Rukia: I see. _[She then put on a red glove with a white skull with blue and black flames surrounding it.]_ Guess there's no other choice, then. Hey.**

 **Ichigo: Huh? _[He turned around and suddenly saw Rukia coming at him at full speed.]_ Huh? _[With a grunt, Rukia smacked Ichigo in the face causing her to push Ichigo's Soul Reaper form out of his body. It then changed to Ichigo's point of view where he sees his body lying face down on the ground with Rukia standing next to it; her face a look of satisfaction as she faced him. Ichigo panicked as he pointed down at his body, going back to third point of view.]_**

"AH! WHAT THE HELL!"

"Holy crap! That is freaky!"

 **Ichigo: Ah, crap! What happened to my body? What in the world did you do to me?**

 **Rukia: Follow me.**

"Wait a second! We can't just leave! What if someone sees my body lying there and thinks that I'm dead! Plus, I can't cut classes; I already missed my morning classes because of that hole in our house! My education is important here, you know!"

Isshin frowned as he turned to his son, gaining a stoic expression. "Ichigo, I don't mind you going out and killing Hollows and all. But make sure that it doesn't get in the way of your schooling, alright? You're still alive and have a long life ahead of you, so make sure you do good in school and not have it interfere with your life."

Ichigo stared at him stunned before nodding, sweat dropping nervously. "Y-yes, sir."

 **'Whoo, man. Dad got serious.'**

 _'No kidding…'_

 ** _[The scene then changes to the park, footsteps echoing in the background.]_**

 **Ichigo (OFFSCREEN): Hey, you gonna tell me where we're going, here?**

 **Rukia: We're getting close. _[She pulls out her Soul Phone.]_**

 **Ichigo: Close to what?**

 **Rukia: Our latest orders from the Soul Society. It looks like a spirit of a boy that dwells here in this park is likely to come under attack soon.**

 ** _[Suddenly, they hear a boy screaming as it turns back to the park. An unseen force destroys a slide and an umbrella as the boy spirit runs for his life away from the force. The force then reveals to be a bug-like Hollow chasing after him as the boy screams. Rukia watches calmly at the scene while Ichigo looks scared for him.]_**

 ** _Boy Spirit: Help me! [Ichigo hops over the fence and begins to run towards the boy but is stopped by Rukia.]_**

 **Rukia: Wait! Hold on!**

"'Hold on'? What do you mean, 'hold on'?!"

 **Ichigo: What is it?**

 **Rukia: Just where are you going? That boy's a complete stranger, isn't he?**

"What?! Are we really getting into this right now?"

 **Ichigo: [SCOFF] So what? I can't just stand by and let this happen. You expect me to watch him die?**

 **Rukia: Don't be such a fool.**

 **Ichigo: Huh?**

 **Rukia: In the eyes of a Soul Reaper, all the spirits of this world are equal. _[The boy continues to run for his life.]_ (OFFSCREEN) Getting involved simply because spirits are nearby, or they need help isn't how it works. _[Boy yelps.]_**

 **Ichigo: Huh?**

 **Rukia (OFFSCREEN): Leave him be. If you intend to help this child, then commit yourself to saving every spirit. You must be willing to go to any length, even to sacrifice your own life.**

"Rukia…" she looked back and was shocked to see Orihime with tears in her eyes, a heartbroken expression. "Why, Rukia? Why? Why would you put Ichigo on the spot like that? I thought…" She sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "I thought you were a good person."

"Orihime…I didn't mean to. I was just doing my duty as a Soul Reaper; I probably had to make him see that."

"Bullshit!" said Tatsuki as she looked at her angrily. "No matter what the circumstances are, you don't put someone's life at risk like that just because you thought of it as a 'teaching' moment. You knew putting Ichigo in a position like that would somehow probably make Ichigo conform to your stupid laws and ways, that way you can control him! That's entrapment!"

"No! I swear, I wasn't – "

"Don't even!" said Karin and Rukia flinched back at the harsh tone. Karin glared angrily at her. "It was obvious Ichigo would go and save that kid, but you stopped him and turned his words against him when it served your purpose, telling him that the kid was a stranger. You knew that was your chance, to get him to commit to your ways and make him accept it by threatening him and the life of another kid in the process. Convenient for you since it was a kid's soul at stake!"

"Karin..." Ichigo said gently. Karin had angry tears in her eyes as her arms shook in fury.

"You extorted him instead of asking him for help, which is a much better tactic out of anything else other than extortion! Are you that prideful of yourself that you can't even ask a person a simple favor?!"

"Karin!" Karin turned away and went into her brother's embrace, sobs coming out.

"It's not fair, you didn't need to be put on the spot like that. You never did anything wrong; you shouldn't even be treated that way, Ichi-nii. You're too good of a person to be treated like that." Ichigo shushed her comfortingly while Rukia stared in stunned shock with guilty eyes.

"I didn't…I didn't mean to…I'm so sorr – "Ichigo stopped her with a hand and shook his head, telling her silently that now was not the time. She nodded wordlessly and slowly sat back in her seat.

"Rukia – "She held up a hand to stop the redhead, her hair casting a shadow over her eyes.

"Just don't…Don't _tell_ me that what I did was just…because it wasn't."

 ** _[Ichigo watches the boy continue being chased as he's frozen with indecision. Suddenly when the boy falls, Ichigo quickly draws his sword and cuts two of the Hollow's legs off before they could make contact with the boy. Rukia gasps as the Hollow crashes on its back before vanishing, Ichigo's eyes covered in shadow.]_**

 **Rukia: Have you made your decision, Ichigo?**

 **Ichigo: Like hell, I have.**

 **Rukia: Huh? _[She looks confused as the boy whimpers in the background.]_**

Rukia looked up, wanting to know what he would say.

 **Ichigo: I haven't decided to do squat. I saved this kid because I wanted to. You hear me? What about you?**

 **Rukia: Me?**

 **Ichigo: I seem to remember you putting your life on the line to save me last night. _[It flashes to last night and back.]_ Tell me. Were you really thinking about your duty when you rushed to help me? Of course not. That's the last thing on your mind when you save someone.**

 **Rukia: Huh? _[The Hollow reappears behind Ichigo, but he ignores it.]_**

 **Ichigo: At the very least, I choose… _[Hollow roar.]_ to be different! _[He then pierces the Hollow's mask before withdrawing with a pause. The Hollow collapses and disintegrates into reishi. The boy picks himself up to his knees as he pants.]_ You OK? _[The boy looks up and yelps in fright. Ichigo kneels down to his level and brings his sword up.]_ Hey, kid. If you don't wanna go through that again, you better hurry up and pass on already.**

 ** _[With a lift, he taps the pommel of his sword on the soul's forehead before lifting, a kanji symbol in its place. Rukia gasps in awe as the boy glows and sinks into the ground, a Hell Butterfly in his place. Rukia walks up to him calmly.]_**

Ichigo's friends and family smiled, glad that he stayed true to himself. Rukia was glad too as she gave a small smile, happy that he had the mindset of any Shiba. _'Like Kaien…'_

 **Rukia: You did that quite beautifully. _[Ichigo slowly gets up, pauses before walking away in annoyance from the scene.]_**

 **Ichigo: I'm gone.**

 ** _[The scene transitions from day to night as it shows a bird's eye view of the city before showing the outside window of Orihime's apartment, Orihime in the window reading her textbook at her desk. Above the window was a man in a suit with brown shoulder length hair and a Chain of Fate on his chest as he watches somberly at her. Orihime gets up and closes her window, shutting him off from her as he sighs sadly.]_**

Orihime gasped in shock and horror, covering her mouth with her hands. "Sora?" Ichigo and his father looked just as shocked. "Sora…why? Why is he there? I…I thought he passed on, WHY IS HE THERE?!" she began to burst into hysteric tears as she cried in grief at the sight of her brother. Tatsuki took her in her arms and guided her over to the darker parts of the theater; Isshin coming as well, his doctor instincts taking over to help calm her down. Her friends looked over in worry for the girl as well as some of the soft-hearted Soul Reapers.

"Ichigo…" Rukia hesitantly spoke up, unsure if she was allowed to talk to him. She wouldn't either after the stunt she pulled. Ichigo turned to her but seeing how nervous she was talking to him, he gave her a soft comforting smile, silently telling her that all was forgiven. She sighed in relief and spoke again. "Um, Ichigo…who is this Sora person?"

His smile turned downward. "Sora was her older brother. He died in a car wreck three years ago and was the only family member she had." She looked surprised before sighing sadly.

"I see…" Orihime, Tatsuki, and Isshin came back after she calmed down. Ichigo turned back to her with a concerned look.

"Orihime, you alright?" she sniffled before nodding. "Don't worry, Orihime, we'll help him pass on when we go back home, okay?" she gave a hesitant smile before nodding.

 ** _[Suddenly he feels a presence and looks to the side before gasping in fear. In front of him were two Hollows. They reach out to him with their tentacles as he backs away screaming, but he gets captured before he could get away.]_**

 ** _Sora: What are you doing? Stop! [They then disappear with him, his screams fading in the background.]_**

"Sora, no!"

 ** _[The scene cuts to Hueco Mundo. Shadows from mountains stretch ominously along the sand as the two Hollows and Sora appear out of the shadow. Sora looks around fearfully.]_**

 ** _Sora: What's happening? Where am I? I don't understand, what are you gonna do to me? [He then feels another presence behind him as a shadow covers him and turns around gasping in fear.]_**

 **Grand Fisher (OFFSCREEN): You are a lost little spirit. _[A dark figure appears on screen with a big white mask with an antenna sticking out of its head; the minimal light showcasing green fur.]_**

Most of the Soul Reapers gasped at the sight of the Hollow. Ichigo looked around in confusion before he studied the Hollow, feeling a memory resurface of that night and paled. He gripped his Zanpakuto tight. _'That antennae…That mask…Shiro, Ossan?'_ they emitted the same feelings he was feeling. "Dad…that Hollow…who is it?" when no one answered him, he repeated his question with urgency. "Who. Is that?"

"…Grand Fisher." His father answered and Ichigo froze.

"Gr-…Grand Fisher?"

Isshin nodded solemnly. "Yes, Ichigo. That's the Hollow that took you and your sisters' mother…and my wife."

"W-what…?" said Karin as she stared wide-eyed.

"No way! That's the Hollow that killed Mommy?!" said Yuzu with tears in her eyes.

Ichigo didn't say anything as he stared at the Hollow, committing it to memory. He could hear nothing, nothing but his heart beating loudly in his ears and he could vaguely hear Shiro screaming in fury. The blood in his veins furiously pumping and rushing with blazing ferocity. And then he snapped.

"I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL KILL HIM!" He yelled as he nearly drew his sword. Uryu and Isshin were immediately at his side as they held him back from leaping at the screen. Everyone else watched in shock. "Let go of me! Get me out of here! I have to find him, now!"

"Ichigo, calm down!" said Uryu.

"No! I have to go back and find him! He took her from us! I have to avenge her! I will avenge my mother!"

"Ichigo!" Isshin shouted and with one final resistant, the teen slumped back in his seat dejectedly. His sisters looked at him worriedly with tears in their eyes while his friends and the rest of his family were concerned with his mental state. Isshin rubbed his son's head comfortingly. "It's alright, Son. Once we leave here, we will find him and set her soul free. Do you understand, Son?" Ichigo looked to his father with a devastated look, and it nearly broke his heart. He hadn't seen that look since Masaki died. "I promise, we will find him." the teen didn't speak but he nodded, showing that he understood. As soon as they were sure he was calm, they sat back and turned back to the screen.

 **Grand Fisher: Now, let's devour this soul. _[Sora makes a break for it, crying out in fright as he struggles to run as fast as he can.]_ Get him!**

"Run, Sora!"

 ** _[The two Hollows vanish after him and suddenly, Sora is surrounded by tons of Hollows devouring him as Grand Fisher laughs maniacally in the background.]_**

"No!"

 ** _[After finishing, the Hollows retreat in all direction. Sora stands in the center as he begins to glow in a burst of light, and in that light a serpent tale appears, and a white substance covers his face as he lets out a muffled cry with a hole in his chest. The white substance solidifies, turning into a Hollowfied mask, letting out a howl as the scene fades.]_**

Orihime's eyes widened in horror. "No…Oh, Sora…No." she cried into her hands in grief as Tatsuki whispered to her comforting words.

"We will help him Orihime, I give you my word." Said Ichigo, even though he still looked devastated. Orihime wiped her eyes and nodded before giving a small smile.

"Right…and when that's done, we'll help your mother too." The other nodded before turning back.

 ** _[Dramatic music comes on as a spotlight appears on Rukia.]_**

 **Rukia: Hear my voice, oh Lord. Help your humble child understand why she was born. And if your divine will wishes it, summon her back to your side. I await your – Oh!**

 **Ichigo: JEEZE, WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?**

Everyone jumped at that. "Well, that was an ice breaker." Commented Mizuiro.

 **Rukia: What is your problem? I am studying contemporary language.**

"I hate to tell you this, Rukia, but you're a bit off by a couple centuries." Uryu stated as he adjusted his glasses. She looked at him confused.

"Why? Isn't that how most people talk these days?" him and the rest that live in the World of the Living shook their heads.

"Man, you guys really are behind the times if that's how you think we talk." Said Ichigo, feeling a little better after calming down. His sisters were happy to see that he was himself again.

Rukia blinked. "Huh." she then turned to Renji. "We really need to catch up with the World of the Living."

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, otherwise we're going in blind if we ever get a mission to the World of the Living." He inwardly smiled, glad that Rukia wasn't blaming herself anymore.

 **Ichigo: You're off by a couple centuries.**

Ichigo and Uryu gave each other strange looks at that.

 **Ichigo: So, tell me. How long do you plan on following me around?**

 **Rukia: Until you answer your calling as a Soul Reaper.**

"Oh, please." The orange head stated blandly, rolling his eyes. Yuzu looked curiously at the dress Rukia was wearing.

"Huh, that's weird. I have the same exact dress that Rukia is wearing."

Karin studied the dress before shrugging. "Maybe it's just a coincidence or something?"

"Maybe?"

 **Ichigo: Yeah, right. Whatever. Huh? _[Tires screech in the background as it cuts to a car driving away with Orihime on the ground, groceries everywhere. Ichigo and Rukia run towards her as she slowly gets up with a groan.]_ Hey! Orihime!**

"Orihime!" exclaimed Tatsuki, worried about her friend.

 **Orihime: Uh, Ichigo!**

 **Ichigo: Did you just get hit by that car?**

 **Orihime: Oh! Maybe?**

"'Maybe'? What do you mean, maybe?" Ichigo said at the same time as his future self.

 **Ichigo: What do you mean, maybe? Are you gonna be OK? _[Orihime gets up without a problem, looking like her bubbly self.]_**

 **Orihime: Mm-hm! It was just a little bump on my head. Don't worry. I'm fine. I swear!**

 **Ichigo: You sure you're OK? Where'd that car go that hit ya?**

 **Orihime: Hm? …It drove away.**

 **Ichigo: Orihime!**

"Orihime, you shouldn't be so nonchalant about that! You could've seriously died or get severely injured," Said Tatsuki, "and those people should've at least stayed to make sure if you were okay. Instead, they just drove off like assholes; you should be mad about that! You can even sue them for it."

Orihime felt guilty about that. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Ah, Orihime." She squeezed her friend's shoulder. "There's nothing for you to apologize for, it's those people that should have stayed and apologize to you for nearly killing you."

"She's right, Orihime." Said Isshin. "Something like that, you can't just brush off like it's no big deal; you could seriously get hurt or killed if that happens to you. Take it seriously next time." He told her gently and she nodded.

"Right…"

 **Orihime: Oh, sorry.**

 **Ichigo: [GROANS] Well, alright. I guess as long as you're OK, then. _[She then finally notices that Rukia is behind him and looks confused.]_**

 **Orihime: Rukia?**

 **Rukia: That's right, and just who are you?**

 **Ichigo: [WHISPERS] Hello! She's in the same class as you! Her name is Orihime! Get your head out of your butt!**

 **Rukia: Huh? Oh, of course! Orihime! _[She curtsies to her in greeting.]_ How are you? _[Orihime sweat-drops as she curtsies back.]_**

 **Orihime: Oh, I'm great, thank you!**

"Seriously, who curtsies anymore?" Ichigo muttered and Rukia narrowed her eyes at him.

 **Rukia: Well now, it appears that you've been shopping.**

 **Orihime: Huh? Oh, that's right! Dinner! My leeks, bananas, butter, and bean jam seem to have made it, too! [GIGGLES]**

Everyone turned green at that.

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: Ugh. I don't wanna know what she's gonna make with that._**

Orihime looks around in confusion. "What's wrong with what I cook?" Ichigo and his friends tensed as they perspired nervously.

"Uh, nothing! Nothing, really. It's just uh…" Ichigo was stumped, he didn't know what to say without hurting her feelings.

"Um…nobody has…your unique sense of taste like you do." said Uryu and the burnt orange haired girl tilted her head curiously.

"Really?" they all nodded furiously.

"Y-yeah, of course." Said Ichigo. Orihime hummed in thought before shrugging.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." All the teens sighed in relief. _'Thank goodness…'_ Ichigo thought as he nudged his cousin.

"Nice save." His whispered to the bespectacled teen who nodded back as the show started up again.

 ** _[Rukia then spies something and gasps when she spots a bruised handprint on her left leg. She stares intensely at it.]_**

 **Rukia: How did you get that bruise on your leg?**

 **Orihime: What bruise? Oh, I guess that happened just now when that car ran into me.**

 **Ichigo (OFFSCREEN): Jeeze! Does it hurt?**

 **Orihime (OFFSCREEN): A little bit! But I'm OK.**

 **Ichigo (OFFSCREEN): You sure?**

 ** _[The whole time they were talking, Rukia kept on studying the bruise completely ignoring them as she kneeled closely to it.]_**

"I don't understand, Rukia? Why are you staring at my bruise so intensely?" inquired Orihime. The petite raven gave her a stoic expression.

"Because it's starting."

"Huh, what's starting?"

Rukia closed her eyes regretfully, not liking how she was going to explain this to her. "Do you remember, what Captain Ukitake said about what Hollows do to their loved ones?"

"Yes, of cour- "The teen's eye's widened before she shook her head in denial. "No…No, he wouldn't. That can't be true, you're lying! Sora would never. He'd never try and hurt me, he wouldn't!"

"I'm sorry, Orihime, but it's 100% fact. A soul when they first become a Hollow, they first go after their loved ones to fill up the emptiness in their hearts before they go after other souls."

"No…Not Sora…no. He just…he." She covered her face in devastation. "Big Brother…" Tatsuki gave her a one-armed hug.

"I'm sorry, Orihime." Said Tatsuki.

Rukia looked on sadly at the sight before trying to find something that could cheer up the poor girl and remembered the bruise. "Hey, look on the bright side, Orihime." The teen stopped sobbing enough to give her a confused look.

"A bright side? What bright side?"

"Well, your brother is still technically a new Hollow, so if he did follow you he probably saw how you were going to get hit by that car and saved you." She exclaimed positively. Orihime looked at her, almost hopeful.

"Sora…saved me?" Rukia gave her a comforting smile.

"Yes, Orihime, that's how you probably got the bruise. When he saw you, some part of his heart must have remembered you and his instincts as a brother must have kicked in to save you from getting hit."

Orihime's eyes began to have some spark back. "Do you…really think so?"

The raven nodded. "I'm positive that's what happened. If not, we'll still go to him and give him the rest he needs." Ichigo nodded in agreement at this. The girl stared at her for a minute before giving her a hesitant smile.

"You're right, hopefully my brother can still be saved." Rukia nodded. "Rukia?" the petite looked to her see she had a thankful smile. "Thank you." The other smiled back.

 **Orihime: Um, what's the matter, Rukia?**

 **Rukia: Huh?**

 **Orihime: Is anything wrong?**

 **Rukia: Uh, right, well, you take care! _[She got to her feet with a bright fake smile.]_**

 **Orihime: Thanks!**

 **Ichigo: So, you want me to walk you home?**

 **Orihime: Oh! Uh, I'm OK, really. See ya! _[She giggles nervously as she turns to the crosswalk, looks both ways and walks away. The two staring at her retreating form.]_**

Tatsuki wanted to give her a talk about missed opportunities again but seeing how she wasn't up for it she'll talk with her about it later.

 **Ichigo: Man, she needs to be more careful.**

 **Rukia: Hm. _[Rukia stares after her intensely before the scene cuts to the setting sun as the two walks along the river bank. Ichigo has his normal scowl while Rukia still has her contemplative look as she looks to Ichigo.]_ So then, that girl.**

 **Ichigo: Huh? Oh, do you mean Orihime?**

 **Rukia: Are you close to her?**

 **Ichigo: Nah, I'm not really. I barely know her, and we don't really talk much. But she's friends with a buddy of mine from the neighborhood, so I see her around.**

Orihime, even though she still felt down about Sora, felt sad about this. Why did she have to be so shy around him? Why can't she be as confident like Tatsuki or Rukia? Then she had a thought and nodded resolutely. _'Right then, I'll just have to try harder and talk to him more. Tatsuki's right, I can't miss opportunities like this anymore!'_

 **Ichigo: …Although-**

 **Rukia: Yes?**

 **Ichigo: …Around three years back or so, her older brother Sora was in this terrible accident and died at our clinic.**

 **Rukia: What?**

 ** _~ Flashback: Three years ago. ~_**

 ** _[SIRENS]_**

 **Ichigo (OFFSCREEN): He was in a car wreck. He was the only family she had. _[The scene shows an ambulance outside the clinic where EMTs were carting a stretcher with Sora on it into the bus, a younger Orihime standing over him crying in grief and desperation.]_**

 ** _Younger Orihime: Big brother! Big brother! You can't die! Please! Don't leave me all alone!_**

 ** _~ Present ~_**

Orihime had tears streaming down her face. She remembered that night every day, feeling like it happened yesterday.

 **Ichigo: I'd never realized that she was the girl I saw crying that day. I only found that out just recently.**

 **Rukia: How in tune to the spirit realm were you?**

 **Ichigo: Huh? Not as much as I am now. I mean, it's really only recently I've been able to fully see and communicate with the spirit realm.**

 ** _Rukia's Thoughts: …Just as I thought._**

 **Ichigo: Why? What's up? What are you thinking?**

 **Rukia: Nothing. See you later. _[Ichigo stops in confusion as she walks ahead.]_**

"Yeah, right. Nothing my ass." The hybrid muttered.

 **Ichigo: Huh? Hey! Where are you going? _[She stops and looks back.]_**

 **Rukia: Back home.**

 **Ichigo: Where's that?**

 **Rukia: You really want to know?**

 **Ichigo: Guess not.**

 **Rukia: Then don't ask me. _[She walks away again, the teen looking annoyed.]_**

The teen gave her the stink eye.

 **Ichigo: Huh? [GROANS] Yeah, right.**

 ** _[The scene cuts to night where the camera is positioned outside Orihime's apartment.]_**

 **[DOORBELL]**

 **Orihime (OFFSCREEN): Coming! _[Orihime opens the door to see Tatsuki smiling with a bowl of stew on hand.]_ Oh, hi Tatsuki!**

 **Tatsuki: My mom thought that I should bring this over for you. It's stewed beef and potatoes.**

 **Orihime: Wow! Great! _[Cutting where the steaming stew is set on the table as the two sits around the table inside to eat.]_ Homemade beef and potatoes! [GIGGLES] Oh boy! This is delicious!**

"That does look delicious." Rangiku said dreamily, drooling a bit. She wasn't the only one though. Everyone was hungry at the sight of food.

"Don't worry, everyone! I'll whip us up a delicious feast once we're done here!" said Yuzu.

"Really, You're Highness, you don't have to cook for all of us." Said Izuru.

"Oh, it's no trouble, at all! Besides, my family will help, and I just love cooking for people."

"No, really I – "

"I said it's no trouble, at all." Yuzu stated with finality, a dark aura surrounding the girl who still had a bright smile on her face. Izuru and almost everyone in the room sweat-dropped, most of them in fear and the closest to her backed away a bit. The only ones who weren't affected were her siblings and father.

"I, um…yes ma'am." He replied back nervously and suddenly, the girl was back to her bubbly self.

"Good, you won't be disappointed." Now everyone sweat-dropped except her family.

"Yeah, Yuzu can be a bit stubborn when it comes to taking care of others. So, unless you're not family, she will not take no for an answer and will definitely hit you over the hand with a wooden spoon if you try and help her with cooking or make her stop." Ichigo stated, Yuzu ignoring the statement.

 _'She's almost as bad as Unohana.'_ Were most of the occupants thoughts.

 **Tatsuki: I swear, if I don't bring meals over for you to eat, you always end up cooking the weirdest stuff. _[The camera moves to the shelves where a memorial picture is set with a pink bear on another shelf.]_**

 **Orihime (OFFSCREEN): I never thought about it. You really think so?**

 **Tatsuki (OFFSCREEN): Um, yeah. I mean, what is this stuff?**

 ** _[The scene changes to the Kurosaki Clinic before cutting to Ichigo's room. Ichigo sitting on his bed reading as Yuzu barges in.]_**

 **Yuzu: Hey, Ichigo? You haven't seen my pajamas, have you?**

 **Ichigo: Yuzu, come on! Knock before you come in here!**

 **Yuzu: Well, I'm sorry I asked. You've been so mean since you started high school!**

"I have not!" her brother said indignantly.

 **Ichigo: Have not, and I don't know where your pajamas are.**

 **Yuzu: That is just so odd. One of my dresses has gone missing too.**

 **Ichigo: Why do you feel the need to ask me about every little thing? Do I look like I care?**

"Because you're our big brother, you're supposed to know everything!" Yuzu stated positively. Ichigo sweat-dropped.

"Isn't that mostly reserved for the parents?"

"Well, can you really blame us with a role model like that?" Karin commented, gesturing towards their father.

"Good point." Isshin burst into tears complaining how cruel his children were towards him, but they just ignored him.

 **Yuzu: OK, goodnight.**

 ** _[She then closes the door and leaves, cutting to where Rukia is in a dark room staring at the ceiling with yellow striped pajamas on. Suddenly her Soul Phone rings and she reaches for it in her shirt.]_**

 ** _Rukia's Thoughts: Hm. An order? [It cuts back to Ichigo as he looks up at the sound. He looks around in confusion.]_**

Ichigo began to pale as he realized what was going on. _'Don't tell me…'_

 **Ichigo: What the – ? Huh? Huh? [BEEP] _[Rukia reads the order and gasps. Ichigo's closet door opens suddenly and inside is Rukia sitting in it with Yuzu's pajamas on.]_**

 **Rukia: Hey, Ichigo!**

Ichigo gaped at the absurdity of this while everyone laughed at the situation he got himself in. Well, except Byakuya whom frowned, displeased at how his sister was basically sleeping in a young man's closet. "Hey, you stole my dress and my PJs!" exclaimed Yuzu.

"Who the hell cares about that? What the hell are you doing in there?! My closet is not some kind of Bed and Breakfast for you to stay in! What if my family sees you and gets the wrong idea or something?"

"Well, where do you expect me to stay at?"

"Anywhere but my closet or at my house! You can't expect to stay in my closet like some freeloader, let alone my house!"

"Freeloader?! How dare you!"

"Ichigo…" the teen flinched and turned to his father. "To think you would stoop so low as to sneak a girl into your room and have her sleep in your closet…" _'Oh no…'_ "Ichigo…I COULDN'T BE PROUDER!" The teen twitched furiously, hearing his Hollow laughing up a storm as Isshin brought out the picture. "Masaki! Our son really is a man after all! And he brought a pretty girl too!" Isshin grunted as he was bonked on the head by Ichigo's Zanpakuto.

"It's not like that, you dirty old pervert!" the teen stated, him and Rukia blushing furiously as the whole room continued laughing. Byakuya not liking how Isshin was insinuating that the young prince and his sister were intimate.

 **Ichigo: [GASP] What the heck? What are you doing in there? _[She jumps out.]_ Are those my sister's PJs you've got on?**

 **Rukia: I'll explain later. We got orders.**

 **Ichigo: Orders? _[Rukia puts on her red glove.]_**

 **Rukia: We're not alone.**

 **Ichigo: Wait, what are ya saying?**

 **Rukia: Get down! _[Rukia leaps and pushes him and his body off the bed, at the same time a rip in reality opens up and a giant red clawed hand makes a grab for him but misses. Ichigo in his Soul Reaper form and Rukia stare in shock as the clawed hand slams on the bed. Climbing out of the rip is Sora's Hollowfied form roaring.]_**

 **Rukia: Why are you standing there? Do something? _[The weight of the hand crushes the bed as Sora roars and tries to leap to Ichigo, who jumps back at the last minute.]_**

"Ah, come on! Not my bed!"

 **Rukia: You have to aim for its head!**

 **Ichigo: Huh?**

 ** _[The Hollow leaps towards him and Ichigo grabs the hilt of his Zanpakuto before drawing it. In the process, he accidently cuts along the ceiling slowing the blade down as he war cries. Because of that he misses and gets knocked aside by the Hollow's tail.]_**

"Sora, no!"

"Dammit…" _'If only that Zanpakuto wasn't so huge.'_

 **Rukia: Ichigo!**

 **Ichigo: Ugh! _[Sora lunges towards him, and with a scream Ichigo slices into his arm injuring it.]_**

Orihime gasped, even though she knew that the two were just trying to help him she still didn't like that Sora was getting hurt in the process.

 **Rukia: You need to focus! Don't just swing your sword around!**

 **Ichigo: Shut up! Who cares, as long as I kill it? _[Ichigo runs towards the Hollow and leaps when it tried to crush him with his claw. He readies a swing.]_ You're mine! Ya! _[He manages to make contact with the mask, but it wasn't deep enough.]_**

 **Rukia: Too shallow. [GASP]**

 ** _[Hollow Sora reaches up and the two struggle with the blade. With a scream of frustration Ichigo puts on a little more pressure and yanks away, causing the top corner of the mask to crack and break away; it reveals one part of Sora's face. Ichigo gasps is disbelief as Sora roars and screams in pain.]_**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: What? [He stares in shock as Hollow Sora disappears into a rip.]_** **[PANTING]**

 **Rukia: It's getting away. Let's go. _[She runs towards the door but stops as she realizes that Ichigo isn't following. She looks back in confusion.]_ Ichigo, what's the matter?**

 **Ichigo: …Something's not right.**

 **Rukia: What?**

 **Ichigo: …I got a look at that thing's face. …And it was Orihime's dead brother!**

 **Rukia: Are you certain?**

 ** _[The scene cuts back to Hueco Mundo where Sora is struggling and groaning with himself, holding his head as if in pain. He screams as the mask rebuilds itself.]_**

"Oh, Sora…" _'Poor Big Brother, he's in so much pain…'_

 ** _[Hollow Sora howls as it cuts back to Ichigo's room, Ichigo looking shell-shocked. Rukia looks at him solemnly before closing her eyes and looking away.]_**

 **Rukia: Here's a word of advice.**

 **Ichigo: Uh?**

 **Rukia: When attacking Hollows, come from behind and cleave their heads with one blow. Don't forget. It's basic theory for any Soul Reaper.**

 **Ichigo: Why? What do you mean?**

 **Rukia: It will keep your injuries to a minimum. …Also, with any luck, it will keep you from learning the Hollow's identity.**

 **Ichigo: Wait a minute. What do you mean, the identity?**

 **Rukia: You just saw for yourself.**

 **Ichigo: Hm.**

 **Rukia: Do you understand? The Hollows were once souls of human beings no different from anyone else. _[Ichigo stares in denial as Rukia watches resolutely.]_**

 **Ichigo (OFFSCREEN): You-you've never told me that! So that thing I saw was just a monster, wasn't it? It was some beast from the underworld that needed to be wiped out.**

 **Rukia: That is correct. He is just a monster now. And he must be destroyed. _[Ichigo stares speechless.]_**

 **Ichigo: …But it was human once.**

 **Rukia: It can't be helped. Souls that hold onto feelings of resentment or regret will sometimes resist Konso and linger on alone in this world. Should that happen, they either become Hollows on their own, or they're devoured by other Hollows and become one of the fold.**

 **Ichigo: But that's –**

"You know, if you just told me that our Zanpakutos purify Hollows, then I'd probably be less hesitant later." Ichigo stated flatly and Rukia actually looked embarrassed.

"Oh, I uh, guess I forgot that in there you wouldn't know."

 ** _[It flashes to Sora's mask breaking before switching back to Orihime's apartment, Tatsuki's face up close and personal at the screen as she has a shocked expression.]_**

Most of the room jumped at how unexpectantly close her face was to the screen. "Whoa! In the face much!" said Keigo.

 **Tatsuki: What? They were together?**

 **Orihime: Mm-hm. But they were just walking home together, Tatsuki. What's the matter?**

 **Tatsuki: Oh man. I never knew Ichigo was such a smooth operator.**

"It wasn't like that, at all. She's the one who was following me around like some stalker." Ichigo stated blandly. The petite raven glared at him.

"I am not a stalker!"

 **'Ooh, quite the lady's man, aren't cha, King?'** Shiro teased. **'Wow, you sure know how to pick 'em. First Big Boobs, now the midget.'**

Ichigo gritted his teeth in annoyance. _'You on the other hand can shut up! It's not like that!'_ his Hollow laughed as he continued to tease.

 **'~ It's getting hot in here! So, take off all you're – OW!'** The teen heard a bonk, which probably meant that Yhwach hit him over the head. Ichigo smirked, satisfied. He noticed Uryu glancing at him in confusion before he shook his head and gestured at his sword. The other teen nodded.

 **Tatsuki: I mean, honestly. He didn't even walk you home when you were hurt!**

"Well, I tried but you walked away before I could insist I should." Orihime looked down sadly.

 **Orihime: Well, no. I mean, he did ask me if I wanted him to walk me home. But I – _[She suddenly had this faraway look as she blushed at something she could only see before she started freaking out, her mind getting carried away. Tatsuki jumped back in surprise.]_ I'm warning, you! You better watch out, champ. Because I'm winning this match!**

 **Tatsuki: Yeah, hey, wake up! You're daydreaming again! _[It switches to Sora's photo.]_**

Everyone stared as they sweat-dropped at how strange the girl was. "Uh…do I even wanna know what you were daydreaming about?" Ichigo questioned, unsure. Orihime blushed and covered her face, feeling so mortified.

 **Orihime (OFFSCREEN): I'll give you a right, and another! Bam! Ah! Look out! He's got a gun! [BANG!]**

 ** _[Suddenly, they hear a crash from outside and gasped. They both looked apprehensive.]_**

 **Tatsuki: Hey, what was that?**

 ** _[All throughout the room, they hear bangs coming from outside the apartment. Suddenly the pink bear on the shelf fell with a rip on the head as the two looked around warily as the scene closed of Hollow Sora, roaring before turning black.]_**

"Oh, Sora…" said Orihime, feeling her heart break even more.

 ** _[ENDING THEME SONG: Life is Like a Boat.]_**

As the screen went black after the song, appeared in green block letters was a message that said, "See you tomorrow!" with a chibi drawing of Urahara giving a peace sign before the lights came on.

"What?!" Tatsuki exclaimed as she got to her feet in outrage. "That's it? You're just gonna leave us in suspense to the part where we're gonna be attacked by a Hollowfied Sora?!"

"Man, I hate cliffhangers." Keigo complained.

"Tatsuki it's alright, I don't mind." Said Orihime, glad for the break because she really needed the rest. Her friend could see that as she finally relented.

"Oh, alright fine. But only because you want to."

"I believe it is for the best," said Unohana as she got to her feet along with the rest, "a lot of people's emotions have been running rampant. It's best for the health if we all just take a breath and clear our heads for now."

"Yeah, I agree. I really need some sleep, after this." said Ichigo as he put his Zanpakuto over his shoulder. A door then slid open and everyone filed through. Through the door were multiple doors and hallways that led to different places, almost confusingly so. "Great, now which way do we go?"

"Hey, everyone! I found a map here." Shouted a timid looking Soul Reaper that had a bandolier around his back with a tired-like expression and black shoulder length straight hair. Everyone began to crowd around him. "W-wait! One at a time, please!"

"Everyone, back up!" Ichigo shouted over top and as one, they all obeyed. "You, what's your name?" the Soul Reaper in question jumped in surprised, not believing that he was speaking to the Prince.

"W-what me? Uh, Hanataro Yamada, S-Sire. 7thseat of S-Squad 4."

 **'Man, that is such a lame name.'** Shiro commented and the teen couldn't help but agree.

"Hanataro then, can you tell us which direction the kitchen and the dining room is at?"

"Y-yes, My Lord!" Hanataro looked at the screen and studied it as he followed the pattern like maze. Luckily as a Squad 4 member, he was good with mazes. "Oh, I see. Follow me, everyone." The group turned from hallway to hallway that had multiple doors with plaque labels next to them. Labels like game room, women and men baths, lounge room, etc. until they came upon the room labeled "Dining room/Kitchen". "Here we are."

"Excellent work, Mr. Yamada." Said Unohana. Hanataro beamed.

"Thank you, Captain." They all went in to see a completely ordinary dining room with a huge long table that had enough chairs for everyone and optimal lighting along with couches in case some don't want to sit at the table. On the other side was a closed bay window and another door, probably leading to the kitchen. Yuzu clapped her hands with a positive smile.

"Alright, I'll get started right away, then!"

"We'll help you, Yuzu." Said Karin with Ichigo, their father, and the Shibas nodding.

"Great!"

"If you don't mind, Yuzu, I could help as well." Said Uryu and the girl beamed.

"Of course!"

"Do you need any more help, Your Highness?" asked Shuhei. Yuzu shook her head politely as her family filed into the kitchen.

"Oh no, it's fine. I have all the hands I need."

"No really, I – "

"I said it's fine." She stated slowly, that dark aura surrounding her again. Shuhei paled, perspiring nervously.

"I…Yes, ma'am." He replied nervously and just like that, her happy aura was back.

"Okay, everyone please just sit back and relax. Dinner will be done shortly!" with that said, she went inside and already sounds of pans can be heard inside. Shuhei breathed a sigh of relief and sweat-dropped, Izuru coming up next to him.

"That girl, she's just as scary as Captain Unohana." He muttered to his friend. The blonde nodded in full agreement with a scared look.

"I know, that's what I thought too."

"What was that boys?" they paled and turned around to see said captain behind them with a pleasant smile on her face. The two perspired and shook in fright.

"Eh, nothing ma'am." They replied nervously back.

After an hour the bay window finally opened with Yuzu and Karin standing there. "Dinners ready!" Yuzu announced as they set the drinks of tea, water, juice and the rice cooker out on the bay window while Ichigo, Uryu, and Isshin carted out tons of covered food that smelled amazing. Kukaku and Ganju had already set the table and helped them set the food out. Taking off the silver domes, everyone was astounded and in awe of the spread. There was everything you could imagine there from Onigiri too steaming Soba noodles. Everyone was practically drooling. "I didn't know what anyone liked, so my family and I just made one of everything. And after, we can have dessert too! Dig in everyone!" she announced as the food was set out.

"Well, don't mind if I do." Ikkaku was about to grab a dumpling with his bare hands when he was suddenly slapped on the hand by a wooden rice spoon. "Yow! What was that for?" he exclaimed as he held his hand and glared at Yuzu. The girl gave him a disapproving look.

"Now don't just grab at the food like an animal, mister. Go and eat like a normal person. And did you even wash your hands?" from his guilty expression, he didn't. She pointed with her spoon in the direction towards the kitchen. "Go and wash your hands, Mister?"

"Oh, come on, I'm starving here!" he suddenly paled when she gave him a creepy pleasant smile that was so much like Unohana's, a dark aura surrounding her.

"I said, go wash your hands and eat properly. Is that clear?"

Ikkaku sweat nervously. "I, um, crystal…I'll go wash my hands, then."

She beamed positively. "Great!" Ikkaku quickly ran off towards the kitchen sink with his tail between his legs. Yuzu looked after him in confusion. "Huh? Did I say something wrong?" Ichigo and Karin snickered behind their hands before looking in different directions when she turned to them questioningly.

Omaeda was just about to grab an Onigiri when Ichigo spotted him. "Hold it!" with a downward swing, Ichigo slapped the fat oaf's hand with his sheathed Zanpakuto.

Omaeda shook his hand painfully. "Ow! What's your problem, man?" Ichigo held up his sheathed sword between his eyes as he narrowed his angrily at the idiot.

"Now look here, Fatass, your captain may be patient enough and apologized for you, but that 'holier-than-thou' attitude of yours won't fly by with me. I don't care who you are in the Soul Society but when it comes to my family, you're in my house now, Bitch, and I will not stand for it. So, unless you change to a different tune and apologize to her yourself like a decent person," Ichigo glared darkly at him, making him sweat nervously. "I'll make you eat nothing but scraps like I promised and kick your ass so hard that ugly mug of yours won't even be recognizable!" everyone watched on in silence, knowing better than to interfere. Some were even too scared of the teen to say anything while others thought the fat lieutenant deserved it, knowing that he needs a good ass kicking. The rest just watched on in entertainment. "Now then, apologize to her…before I get any angrier." Marechiyo stared fearfully at him, too scared to even speak. That didn't make the teen any happier as he glared dangerously at him. The teen stomped boomingly at the ground and held up his sword. "I SAID APOLOGIZE!"

Marechiyo screamed before going to the girl and bowing low multiple times. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Please!" he said repeatedly. Yuzu gave him an uncomfortable smile.

"Oh, um, that's okay."

"Thank you." He said in relief before he turned to the teen nervously.

Ichigo scoffed before he leaned his Zanpakuto on his shoulder. "Now that's more like it." He narrowed his eyes at him with a cold expression. "And just so we're clear…you're in my house now, so unless you have a death wish. Don't let me catch you with that attitude again, got it?"

"Eh, yes, Your Majesty." He squeaked out. The teen scoffed again before turning away, tired of looking at the idiot's face. After that, conversation started up again, the atmosphere a little tense. But soon it became comfortable again when everyone complimented how good the food was. Yuzu adored the compliments, glad that everyone liked her cooking. Rukia was also enjoying her meal when she noticed the dark-haired twin approaching her, not looking very happy. The Soul Reaper began to feel nervous, though she probably had a good idea on what was going to happen.

"Oh, um Your Highness…is there something you need?" she asked, trying to be polite.

"Yes, we need to talk." She was afraid of that. "Now look, I can tell Ichigo thinks you're okay and forgives the stunt you pulled on him, but I won't. What you did was super low, and I won't forgive you for that. I don't want to hear that it was your duty or any other bullshit excuses, you knew what you were doing, and you know it's wrong. Right?"

Rukia looked down sadly. "Yes, I do."

"Good, now since Ichigo likes you and all, I'm going to give you one chance to prove to me that you're a good friend to Ichigo."

Rukia beamed in relief. "Really? Oh, thank you – "

"I'm not finished, if you hurt my brother in any way…you will not be forgiven so easily. I swear, I will make your life a living hell if you so much as hurt my brother like that again!"

Rukia looked down sadly and nodded in understanding. "Of course, I won't let you down."

"Good, make sure you do that."

"Here's dessert!" the two looked over to see Yuzu carting in a beautiful three-layer sponge cake in as everyone clapped and oohed in awe of it. "Hope everyone has room, because there's enough for seconds!"

Karin looked back at the Kuchiki with a look of warning, holding up a finger. "Remember, Kuchiki, _one_ chance; don't make me regret it." With that, Karin walked away towards her sister to help hand out the cake. Rukia watched on sadly, feeling so guilty.

"Hey." The raven jumped and looked up to see Ichigo holding two pieces of cake, a look of sympathy on his face. Rukia plastered a quick fake smile.

"Oh, Ichigo. What's up?" the teen raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't give me that, I saw the whole thing." he stated as he handed her the cake. Rukia dropped the look as she took the offered cake and stared at the strawberry on top of it sadly.

"Oh…you did, huh? …How much of it?" she poked at the strawberry with her fork.

"Enough. Look don't get so down, Karin can be very protective of us – especially after mom died – but don't worry. She may be a hot-head like me, but she'll come around."

Rukia looked up with hopeful eyes. "How do you know that?"

"Because she's my sister, she may not act like it, but she likes you in her own way. She just doesn't like how you went about the situation. But really, don't sweat over it; you just made a little mistake." She looked down again and closed her eyes.

"But it's not just a little mistake, I manipulated you. I tried to make you think that my morals and my ways are just, that my priorities were more important than yours and, in the process…I did something unforgivable. And who's to say I won't hurt you again." She sighed sadly. "If Kaien were here he would be so disappointed in me."

"Alright, now stop. That's enough of that." he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now look, I may not have liked how you went about that scene, but I know you regret it and that's all I need to hear. My priorities and morals are not more important than anyone else's, just as long as you understand them. And you made one mistake and who's to say you won't make more, nobody's perfect! And if you do hurt me, it's my decision to forgive you or not; not Karin's." Rukia looked up at him, completely enwrapped by his speech. "Look, I may not know Kaien but I'm pretty sure that he would not be disappointed with you. He would just be disappointed in himself that he didn't help you deal with others better, if he's anything like my family; we're known to blame ourselves." He put his hand on top of her head and smiled comfortingly as Rukia's eyes glistened, almost seeing Kaien again. "Just stop being so hard on yourself, okay. It won't make you or anyone else feel better. Now come on, try the cake already; it's good. You don't want Yuzu to cry about you at least not trying her cake; she worked really hard on it." To emphasize his point, he got a forkful and took an exaggerated chomp out of it.

Rukia giggled, the last of her tears drying up as she smiled gratefully at him, glad that he cheered her up. She shook her head and gave a proud smile. "You're absolutely right, what am I doing moping over something so silly? I'm a Kuchiki, I should know better than that and we own up to our mistakes. And as a Kuchiki, I shouldn't be so ungrateful and not try this beautiful cake. I would be a disgrace to the Kuchiki clan if I upset the princess and her hard work."

"That's the spirit!" the two laughed before they smiled into each other's eyes.

"Thank you, Ichigo. I really did need that."

"Hey, no problem. It's the least I could do after Karin ribbed into you."

"Nevertheless, I am still grateful, and I did deserve it. But enough of that, this cake looks amazing." She tried a bite and felt like her mouth was in heaven. "Mm! It tastes fantastic too! Your sister really outdone herself."

As the two continued talking, Orihime stared at them longingly before looking down with heartbroken eyes. _'Ichigo looks at Rukia so differently than when he looks at me. And he never laughs or smiles like that when I'm around either.'_ She stared at Ichigo's laughing face as he talked about whatever with Rukia. _'Ichigo…will I be able to get the chance of you looking at me like that too?'_ the teen continued to stare at the two sadly until it was time to clean up.

After everyone helped clean and put away the dishes, they followed the directions on the map (which were thankfully posted along each hallway intersections) they found the hallway that had accommodations on it, the doors each having a nameplate on all of them by last names. Ichigo's family being at the end of the hall with three last names: Kurosaki-Shiba-Ishida. They had no doubt that it was going to be the biggest out of all the rooms. Everyone said their goodnights before turning in. Ichigo and his family turning in as well.

Once inside, they checked out the place. In front of them was the living space that had two couches and a love seat surrounding a mahogany coffee table with a bookcase full of books and some knick knacks on it in between two doors. There were other doors as well and they all had nameplates on them as well. Ichigo's and Uryu's room were on the left side with Ganju's door next to theirs. Next to the left side of the bookcase was Yuzu's and Karin's room and on the right was the bathroom. The last two doors on the other side were Isshin's and Kukaku's rooms. "Well, take a good look everyone. This will be our new home for a while." Said Isshin.

"Great." The teens said sarcastically.

"Come on, Karin! Let's go brush up and check out our new room." Dragging her twin, they ran to their door and went inside after brushing, the others doing the same as they said goodnight after brushing their teeth as well. The bathroom luckily had everything they needed, including new toothbrushes. Uryu and Ichigo went to their room and checked it out. The room was the size of a college dorm room. The beds were moderate twin sizes against the walls with desks that had desk lamps in front of the headboards. Two cupboard closets with mirrors on the doors were on the other side of the wall at the foot of the beds. Ichigo slid the closet door open and stared in surprise.

"Huh, looks like Urahara took all of my clothes from my room. Don't know how I should feel about that, though I am glad I won't walk around in just my uniform." Uryu checked out his closet, frowning as he saw his clothes too and sewing equipment.

"Well I feel violated that a Soul Reaper went snooping through my clothes." Ichigo shrugged.

"Eh, I'm just glad that there's no midget living in there." Uryu shrugged and nodded as they grabbed their sleep wear and sat on their beds, the orange head leaning his Zanpakuto against his desk as he faced his cousin curiously.

"So, tell me about yourself, Uryu. You got any hobbies or such?"

"Well, one of my hobbies are archery of course, reading, and sewing clothes."

"Dude, that is so girly." Uryu glared indignantly at him with a tick mark.

"It is not girly! I'll have you know, sewing back then was a manly thing to do!"

"Great, you're old. Good to know." The raven twitched in irritation.

"Well what are your hobbies then?"

"I sometimes play the guitar and read Shakespeare, but I mostly fight thugs in alleys. Though that's not much of a hobby as more self-defense; can't help that idiots like them try to pick a fight with me just because of my hair color."

"Do they really fight you just because of your hair?"

"Pretty much, stereotypical bastards. Anyways, what about your parents? Tell me about them." Uryu gained an emotionless look as he adjusted his glasses.

"My father and I are really not on speaking terms at the moment, not after my mother died when I was nine." The hybrid's eyes widened.

"Your mother died when you were nine too?" Uryu nodded.

"Yes, her cause of death was unknown when she suddenly went into a coma and lost her Quincy powers as well. She passed three months after her coma."

"Oh wow, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it was a long time ago; it just goes to show that we're not so completely different after all."

"Guess not. Do you have a general idea on why our mother's lost all their Quincy powers?"

 _'I can answer that.'_ Ichigo jumped and looked to his sword.

"Ichigo?" he held up a finger.

 _'What do you mean? Do you know something?'_

 _'Yes, but I shall explain it at a different time when it is not so late.'_

 _'Alright, but you better make sure you do.'_ The teen looked back to the confused raven. "Yhwach says that he has an idea on how that happened, but he won't tell us until it's not so late."

"I guess that's fair."

"Anyway, why aren't you on speaking terms with your dad? How bad is your relationship with him?" Uryu frowned.

"Our relationship is so bad that I practically have my own apartment to be away from him." the other's eyes widened.

"What?! Why?"

"Because we just don't understand each other!" He stated in frustration before he took a breath to calm himself. "We just…don't. The only other person that ever understood me was my mentor, my grandfather, Soken…and he's gone."

Ichigo could tell that his cousin was still grieving for his grandfather, so he thought quickly on how to cheer him up. "What was your grandfather like?" that perked the raven up as he gave a reminiscent smile.

"He was my idol, my role model. He was the one who trained me in the Quincy arts, even though my father disapproved of me practicing; saying that being a Quincy doesn't earn you money. My grandfather was proud to be a Quincy and his favorite quote was that, 'A heart of vengeance forges the soul firm with resolve, but if one is not careful, vengeance can be blinded by obstinacy and pride, thereby dulling the blade. A Quincy's arrow is released in the name of justice, and justice is when you have something that must be protected. In the name of justice, Quincies release their arrows from the heart.'"

"Your grandfather was very wise."

"He was."

"…How did he die? Did he die in his sleep?" Uryu scowled darkly behind his glasses.

"He…died by a Hollow attack. He tried to…defend himself the best he could without killing the Hollows so that the Soul Reapers could purify them. But by the time they did, it was too late…" the teen clenched his fist in anger. "And it was because of them that my master died."

"Uryu…" Uryu gave a hollow laugh.

"And you know what's ironic, is that my grandfather never once hated the Soul Reapers. His dream was that Quincies and Soul Reapers could work together side by side, that we would be the first responders in Hollow attacks until the Soul Reapers arrive to dispatch the Hollows. But he was denied time and time again, and yet he still tried; he never once gave up hope that his dream would come true. And before he died, I wanted that too…"

Ichigo gave him a hesitant look. "And now…"

Uryu looked from the ground and stared at him. "After Grandfather, I wanted to make the Soul Reapers pay for their inability to do their jobs and I wanted to prove that Quincies were better than Soul Reapers. And now…I don't know? I can't really hate Soul Reapers anymore since you're my cousin and part Soul Reaper, doing that would just disappoint him."

Ichigo had an idea pop into his head. "Well think of this, we can work together and fight Hollows. Like you said, I'm part Soul Reaper and you're a Quincy. We can live out your grandfather's dream through us."

Uryu gave him a considering look. "Do you…think that will work?"

"Of course, we'll be living out what your grandfather dreamed of: Quincy and Soul Reaper, fighting together as one. That would make him proud, and if the other Soul Reapers don't like it well screw them. We're technically the boss of them anyway." His cousin chuckled in amusement.

"More like you're the boss of them, you literally had them bowing at your feet about an hour ago."

"Hey, you're a prince too. So, you hold the same authority."

"I guess so." Then he became hesitant. "Do you think…we can really make my grandfather proud?"

Ichigo smirked. "I know he's proud right now with just us considering this."

"…Thank you, Ichigo."

"Ah, no problem." He said causally, getting comfortable on his bed. "So, tell me, what's your old man like?"

"My father? Well he's a well-renowned doctor and owns his own hospital… But he's also a cold man who only looks at me with discontent. He doesn't like how I'm practicing the arts and tells me to my face how I'm such a disappointment and a fool for continuing it."

"Why is that?"

"That just it, to this day I don't know. Grandfather understood his way of thinking and told me that as I get older, I would understand as well. But I still don't. I've tried _so_ many times to understand the man, but all I get from him is disappointment and I get so angry at him that I lose focus on trying to understand him. And it's because of that, my old home doesn't feel like home anymore (which is why I moved out), it just feels cold and empty there."

"But you're still trying, aren't you?"

"Of course, if only for my grandfather I will try to understand the bastard!" Uryu sighed tiredly as he adjusted his glasses. "But no matter what, I just can't get a read on him and he doesn't give me anything or even tries to help me understand him. My grandfather understood him because he raised him; Ryuken is his son. How could I ever try to understand?"

Ichigo could tell how confused and frustrated his cousin was. Ichigo wanted to help him but he was never put in this type of situation before. Sure, his father can be confusing and annoying at times but at least he understood his father and loved him. Uryu on the other hand had never had that kind of love and understanding relationship with anyone except his grandfather, and maybe his mother. But they were both dead and his own father was estranged. In Uryu's mind, he had no one for a long time; Uryu was all alone. Well, Ichigo will have to fix that. "Uryu." The other looked up. "You said your grandfather understood your father because he was his son, right?" he nodded. "Now just hear me out, okay? Don't get defensive on this, I'm just trying to help and I'm not taking anyone's side, alright?" Uryu narrowed his eyes suspiciously before giving a hesitant nod again. "Well with your grandfather and your dad, perhaps it's the same with you and your dad?"

Uryu frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, Ichigo?"

Ichigo held up his hands to show again that he wasn't taking anyone's side. "Just think about it, your grandfather did understand him but maybe your dad didn't understand him too. It's probably the same thing with you and your dad." The orange head watched and waited tensely to see if the other would get defensive.

Uryu thought carefully on Ichigo's words, trying to decipher them like a riddle. "So, what you're saying is…my father didn't understand his own father…but he at least understands me like my grandfather did with him?"

Ichigo nodded, glad he didn't explode on him yet. Though he's still expecting it. "Exactly. Your dad probably understands you more than he actually lets on. He's just probably trying to get you into his way of thinking, believing that his way is right."

"But that still something I don't get! Why would he try to conform me to his way of thinking when my grandfather didn't even try to do that with him?"

"Well, tell me this? Your grandfather and your dad are two different people, right?"

"Right?"

"And your grandfather, he was prideful of his Quincy heritage but was he ever prideful of being better and right all the time?"

"Well, no…Grandfather was always so open minded and humble."

"Right, and your father?"

The raven's eyes widened in realization. "That's exactly him!"

"Bingo! From what you told me, he doesn't pride himself on being a Quincy, but he prides himself on his work, being right and thinking what he knows best for you."

"But that's only one part of him that I'm able to understand!"

"Well, one part is good enough isn't it? It's better than nothing."

"Well…yeah, I guess you're right about that. But that still doesn't explain why he's been so cold and distant towards me, and why he wants me to stop being a Quincy even though he's had the same training."

"Well, I'm not gonna defend his actions on how he's treated you; there is no excuse for that. But being a Quincy and fighting Hollows, that's a dangerous job isn't it? And you don't get paid at all for it, right?" Uryu hesitantly nodded. "Well on my take on this, in his own way he's probably trying to be a parent here in his harsh way. All parents want is for their child to succeed in life and make sure their safe, and you're the only family he has left in the world other than us. But again, I could be wrong though; it's just my thought on this."

Uryu was in deep thought of this. _'Maybe he's right. Maybe in his own cold, harsh way, Ryuken is trying to be a parent by trying to protect me…because I'm all he has left in the world…Plus, even though he was distant before Mother died, he became so much colder after the fact… Maybe, he's still grieving for her…and perhaps for Grandfather too… '_ That gave Uryu a new perspective on his father. "No. No, I think you're right about this, Ichigo. Maybe he is trying to protect me."

"Hey, if you want a better understanding of him, how about asking my old man; they seem to know each other. Maybe Dad can give you a better insight on him?"

"I think I'll do that. You know, Ichigo, even though your family is insane I'm kind of jealous of how close of a bond you have with your family."

"Eh, if you like families that are either terrifying or beat the hell out of each other with surprise attacks, but hey I ain't judging." Then Ichigo smiled softly. "But yeah, we are close and I'm glad we understand each other. Even though Mom died, we became a lot closer after that. A little broken maybe but we love each other." Uryu smiled. "And hey, don't think I didn't notice. Your family too and whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us until the day you die. And even after that, you're still stuck with us in the Soul Society."

"Oh gee, thanks." The two chuckled good naturedly. "But thank you, Ichigo. For everything."

"Don't mention it, Uryu. Really don't, I've got a reputation going here and back home. Can't be going soft and girly like you." He teased.

"Oh, shut up!" Uryu grinned as he threw a pillow at him, the other laughing as he covered his face. On the other side of the door, Isshin was listening in on their conversation with a frown. He didn't mean to, he was just coming over to give them a surprise goodnight attack when he overheard them. Isshin shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. _'Oh Ryuken, you idiot. It's just like you to not realize how much you're hurting your son.'_ The man sighed before putting on a bright and goofy grin. _'Well, old friend, looks like it's time for me to clean up your messes again.'_ And with that, Isshin held up his foot and kicked the door hard, making it slam against the wall as the two yelped in fright.

Isshin shouted from the top of his lungs as he moved his body in exaggerated motions. "Alright! It's time to hit the hay and lights out, boys! Early to bed and early to rise is what I always say! HA HA HA! Come on, into bed already! HUP TWO, HUP TWO! UGH!" Suddenly, a shoe was thrown at his face, causing him to fall on his back and twitch painfully on the ground.

Ichigo, who had his arm in a throwing motion, glared at his father in annoyance and irritation. "Damn it, Old Man! You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

The man got back up like a spring board with a shoe print on his goofy face. "Aw, come on! What's a little adrenaline before bed?"

"Idiot! You're a doctor, so you know that is the opposite of what you need when going to bed!"

"Oh, really? Well then, I guess I'm gonna have to remedy that!" with that, they started their nightly wrestling. Uryu watched in silence before he smiled softly at the sight, glad to see a father and son's close relationship; strange as it is but it's still nice to see. Then he frowned in thought of his own father. _'Father…will I ever understand you? Will we ever have that kind of close relationship like they have?'_ Uryu thought on this the whole night as they all went to sleep finally.


	4. Ch 4 The Older Brother's Wish

Ch. 4 The Older Brother's Wish, The Younger Sister's Wish

Ichigo woke to the incessant prodding in his mind by Shiro, saying he was bored and thought Ichigo slept enough. _'Annoying, whiteout bastard…'_ Shiro blew a raspberry in response, making him roll his eyes before sitting up and stretching. He looked over to see Uryu still asleep. Seeing how he wasn't able to go back to sleep, he got out of bed and grabbed some clothes to take a shower. Ichigo wondered what time it was as he got out of the room and looked to the clock above the bookcase to see that it was about 6:30, a little earlier than his family was meant to wake up (which was odd since he was never up earlier than his family, especially Yuzu and his dad). _'Guess yesterday really wore everyone out. Can't blame them though, especially Orihime…'_

Once he was finished, he got out of the bathroom just in time to see his father sneaking towards his and Uryu's room. Isshin froze, seeing how he was caught by his son and a little surprised to see him awake at this hour. Ichigo raised a brow and his father grinned mischievously putting a finger in front of his mouth in a shushing manner. Ichigo snorts before walking away towards the door to make some coffee, Shiro cackling away in his head. Luckily, he grabbed his sword and moved Uryu's glasses farther away on the desk, predicting something like this would happen.

 **'Four Eyes is about to get a rude awakening.'** Said Shiro, Ichigo practically feeling him grinning. Ichigo snorted as he headed out into the halls but paused when he heard it happen.

"GOOOOD MOOOORRRNIIIIIIIIINNNNGGG, URYUUUUUU!"

"YAAAAHHH!" A crash was heard, putting the orange head into hysterics. It just got worse when doors slid open and everyone looked towards the end of the hall in confusion. He waved to some of his friends when they looked to him questioningly before walking away. Renji saw him and decided to go with him, seeing as he was the first one assigned to the teen as his security detail.

"Morning!" he greeted. Ichigo nodded.

"Morning. Did you need something?" the redhead shook his head.

"Nah, security detail remember?"

"Ah right, forgot about that. Are my friends and family involved in the detail as well?"

"Yep. The Head Captain assigned us all to be yours, your friends and your family to be guarded 24/7 until we're finished here. We circle and exchange guards every day. The captains and lieutenants get one of you guys, but the lower ranking officers that are here don't really get assigned unless they have to since a couple of them are not strong enough to fight against a captain or lieutenant. Captain Ukitake organized the list himself, and I got you as my first watch."

"Great. Lucky me…" he muttered as he looked at the screen on the wall to make sure that he was going in the right direction before moving on.

"The only ones that aren't assigned are obviously Captain Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi."

"Obviously. Any relation between those two?" the teen inquired as they made it into the dining area and walked towards the coffee maker. Renji looked uncomfortable, looking like he didn't want to say anything.

"She's, eh, sort of his daughter." Ichigo raised a brow at him for that before making his coffee.

"'Sort of'? What is she adopted?"

Renji rubbed his neck awkwardly at that. "N-no…Basically, Captain Kurotsuchi used his DNA and…cloned himself a daughter." Ichigo nearly dropped his coffee mug at the statement and turned to the redhead incredulously.

"What?! He _cloned_ himself a daughter?!"

"Yeah…But from what I heard in the rumor mills, he doesn't treat her as a daughter though. He practically (or literally) programmed her to be the perfect servant for him, one that doesn't disobey him and follows his every order no matter what. He even abuses her and mistreats when she doesn't get an order right! I even heard an officer almost caught him kicking her to the ground in broad daylight while she was _injured_ when she didn't exterminate a Hollow fast enough. In his words, 'I made you strong enough to kill a Hollow instantly, and you can't even do that! It's your fault for getting that injury in the first place!'" he quoted angrily. Ichigo stared in shock.

"Seriously, how is this guy not even arrested? And clone or not, he's abusing his own _daughter_! And what about her? Why didn't she testify against him or any of his subordinates?" the redhead turned away in frustration.

"Me and the rest of the lieutenants tried to help and support her as best we could, even tried to convince her to have him arrested but she wouldn't budge no matter what we did. She _literally_ doesn't have a mind of her own (you can practically tell just by talking to her) and she's devoted to him, always saying 'Master Mayuri this' and 'Master Mayuri that' and it makes me want to just shake her and bang my head against the wall! And no one in his squad wants to testify; they're too scared of him to do anything. And the ones that aren't in his squad informed their captains, but when the captains went to Central 46 about it, they get shot down because of 'insufficient evidence'." He scoffed in anger and disgust. "It pisses me off every time." Ichigo stared in horror and couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl.

"My god…" he sighed in frustration, ruffling his hair. "Is there anything we can do to help her?" Renji sighed but brightened with an idea.

"Well yeah. You're a member of the Royal Family and a Shiba. And Central 46 answers directly to the Soul King, therefore you and your family. When we get back, you can basically order them to build a case against the psycho and have him arrested." Ichigo thought on this as he poured his coffee before nodding.

"Okay, I'll talk to my family and see what we can do. Don't worry, Renji, I've seen cases like these back at home when my dad treats abused children. Though not as bad as this case, but I've heard something like this before when I helped my dad at the clinic; we'll nail the guy." Renji sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Ichigo." Ichigo takes a sip of his coffee. Renji sniffs and looks curiously at the drink. "Hey, what are you drinking?"

"Coffee." Renji blinked in confusion.

"...Cof-fee?" Ichigo balked.

"You're kidding, right?" when the other just stared at him confused, he bursts into laughter. Just when Renji was about to retort, the door automatically opened to Uryu walking in with a disgruntled look on his face, Rangiku skipping in behind him as she shouted good morning. Ichigo laughed harder when he caught his expression. Uryu scowled harder as he walked up to them and punched him in the shoulder, but that just made Ichigo laugh more. "H-hey, I warned ya to expect it."

"Shut up." He mumbled before pouring himself a mug, adding some sugar and creamer.

"Hey, get this. Renji says he's never heard of coffee before." Uryu balked.

"You're kidding, right?" Ichigo laughed.

"That's exactly what I said."

"What's coffee?" asked Rangiku. They both stared at her, then turned to each other before they both burst into hysterics. The other two just looked more confused. "I don't get it, what's so funny?"

"Oh man! You guys must be _way_ behind the times if you guys never heard of coffee." Said Ichigo through his chuckles.

"Stagnant is more like it." Uryu added in amusement as he took a sip.

"WELL, WHAT IS IT THEN?" Shouted Renji. Uryu explained it the best he could as the twins and the rest of their family filed in with more Soul Reapers accompanying them before going into the kitchen to make breakfast while the rest of the people came in to meander around the dining room patiently. Some looking to be dead on their feet.

"Oh, so it's another type of beverage in the World of the Living that gives you energy." Said Rangiku, smiling excitedly. "I wanna try!"

"I gotta warn ya though, it's an acquired taste. Its bitter to drink it alone." Said the hybrid.

"What do you mean 'alone'?" inquired the redhead.

Uryu answered. "Some people like to drink the beverage straight, while others like to add sugar, milk, or creamer to sweeten it a little and make it easier to drink. You can even add chocolate, caramel, vanilla, or cinnamon in it to spice up the flavor. There's practically a bunch of different ways to make coffee and a variety of flavors to add to it. For me, I like to add a little sugar and creamer in mine."

"As for me, I like it straight. Or black, which is the preference we humans like to call it."

"Heh. Well if that's how it is, I'll try it black." Said Renji, looking interested too.

Rangiku hummed in thought with a finger to her mouth. "Mm, I think I'll play it safe and pour mine with sugar and milk. And maybe a bit of caramel wouldn't hurt." They then poured themselves a mug as breakfast was served, Yuzu giving him his usual buttered toast and asking Uryu if he wanted anything specific. Uryu replied that he just wanted some cereal and thanked her kindly.

Renji brought up his mug but hesitated to take a sip. "You sure you don't want to add anything in it?" asked Ichigo with an amused grin. "Not many people like it like me; nobodies gonna judge you." The male Soul Reaper scowled at him taking it as a challenge.

"Shut up! I'm not some sissy." The raven growled under his breath with thin lips, his eyebrow twitching. "Eh, no offense of course." The teen just sipped his drink. With a deep breath, he slowly took a sip of his drink. Not a second later, he spat it out to the side. The three moved out of the way while everyone looked over to see what was going on. The two teens burst out into laughter as Renji coughed and stuck out his tongue in disgust and horror. "What the hell is this stuff?! It tastes terrible! Why do people drink this?!"

Rangiku sipped hers slowly and smiled. "Really, Renji, it's not that bad if you sweeten it a little. Takes a little getting used to if you drink it slowly and get past the bitter taste." Renji looked uncertain to believe her but considered it anyway. After all, he never back down from a challenge.

"Yeah, I think you're right." With that, he started adding some sweeteners. He took a tentative sip and when it didn't taste as terrible, he grinned and started to drink it more confidently.

"Try not to drink too much of it or you'll be bouncing off the walls all day and night." Ichigo warned. Once breakfast was over, they all began to congregate back into the theater and sat down in their usual seats. Orihime gripped the front of her skirt anxiously. After yesterday's drama, she couldn't go to sleep and when she did, she had nightmares of her brother's Hollowfied form attacking and telling her that it was all her fault that he was like this. Orihime wasn't afraid to admit that she was scared to watch this, she didn't want to find out what happened next, at all. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looks over to see Tatsuki giving her a comforting smile, knowing what she was thinking. Orihime looked to her friend, finding strength in her smile before giving a small smile in return. She took a deep calming breath before looking away, her back straight and her eyes full of determination as the lights dimmed. _'I can do this. I WILL do this! If not for me, then for my brother."_

 ** _BUZZ!_**

 ** _Noise began to filter into the audio as the scene shows outside of a college campus, showing students milling around and parents saying goodbyes and promises to their children as they send them off. "And here we are a Karakura Tech University!" Said Isshin as it seems he is the one manning the camera. He then turns the camera to his son, Ichigo, where he's hugging a much older Yuzu and Karin. His hair is not as long as in the last clip, only going as far as reaching his shoulders. Karin's and Yuzu's hair are much longer as well. Karin's done in a high spiky ponytail; still looking as tomboyish as ever. Yuzu's much longer going past her shoulder with her signature hairpin in place on her bangs._**

"Hey look, Karin! It's us!"

 ** _He then faces the camera towards himself with proud tears in his eyes. "My little boy is all grown up. Masaki! Our little boy is now becoming a man!" He then weeps into his arm sobbing loudly._**

"College, huh? Looks like I made it in." said Ichigo with a small smile.

"Congratulations, Ichigo!" said Orihime, glad for her friend and at the fact that they were starting off on something light.

"Nice work, Ichigo." Said Karin.

"We knew you could do it, Big Brother." Yuzu chimed in. Uryu nodded with a grin happy for him.

"Thanks guys." Said Ichigo with an embarrassed smile, glad for everyone's support. The happy moment took a nosedive once his father opened his mouth.

"MASAKI! Our son is not a total failure after all! Soon enough, he'll be off getting a job and married one day! I'M GONNA BE A GRANDPA! GAH!" _SMACK!_ Ichigo smacks him in the face with Zangetsu, an embarrassed blush on his face.

"KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"

 ** _"Dad come on! Knock it off, you're embarrassing yourself and us. And do you have to film this?" Ichigo complains in the background before the camera is panned to him. Ichigo scowls as usual into the camera before Isshin walks up to him and gets into the shot as he wraps an arm around his son's shoulders._**

 ** _"Ah, come on, Son! Lighten up and give your old man a break. It's your first time really away from home and I don't want to miss a single moment of this. Makes me feel like your mother is right here watching with us." Ichigo rolls his eyes before consenting with a small smile._**

 ** _"Yeah, alright. I get it, Dad." His father grins broadly, patting him on the back._**

Ichigo smiles at the thought of his mother watching over him as he goes to college.

 ** _"That's the spirit." He backs away just as Yuzu and Karin come into the shot, both looking equally sad but happy._**

 ** _"Now you promise to come visit once a month, right Ichigo?" Yuzu asks hopefully with tearful eyes._**

"Right?" the girl repeats tearfully to her brother.

"Yuzu." Ichigo shakes his head fondly over his more emotional sister before rubbing her head comfortingly.

 ** _Ichigo gives her a comforting smile. "I promise, Yuzu. After all, your cooking is the best."_**

 ** _"And you promise to call home every weekend, right?"_**

 ** _"Of course." Karin gives him a tap on the shoulder._**

 ** _"You better. Otherwise, I'll drag you back home myself."_**

The orange chuckles along with his future self at his other sister's response.

 ** _Ichigo chuckles before giving them both a hug before letting go. "Right, I'll hold you to that." Isshin then begins to laugh obnoxiously in the background._**

 ** _"Don't worry, girls! Because even though your brother will become the ladies' man of campus, you'll both will always be his number one!" Ichigo glares into the camera._**

"Shut up, you old pervert!" the teen shouts at the same time as his onscreen self.

 ** _"Shut up, you old pervert!" Isshin just laughs before turning the camera to the side. There in the shot shows Uryu talking to his father, Ryuken with his usual emotionless mask but you could tell in his eyes and the slight tilt of his mouth that he was concerned._**

"Hey check it out. Looks like we'll be going to the same school." Said Ichigo, but when Uryu didn't reply he looks over to see him staring at the screen in stunned silence at the scene before him. Ichigo looked at him in concern but Uryu just continued to stare. He wasn't shocked that he made it into college and was a little surprised that he was going to the same school as Ichigo. What really got to him was that his father was there with _him_ of all people and not at work like he would expect, let alone sending him off to college. His cousin nudges him and whispers, "Hey, Uryu, you alright man? Who is that?"

"My…my father…" Ichigo's eyes widened in shock.

"That's your dad?!"

"Yes…I think?" the other raised a brow a little confused.

"You think?" Uryu tries to answer the best he can.

"W-well it is him, it's just that…I've never seen that expression on his face before. A-and I never thought in a million years that he would be there to send me off…nor did I expect anyone to be there to send me off…" he replies weakly. Ichigo gives him a sad look and comfortingly puts a hand on his shoulder. Uryu shows his appreciation for the support by giving him a weak smile.

 ** _"You have everything you need, correct?" Ryuken inquired in corncern Uryu nods with a slight smile._**

 ** _"Yes, Father."_**

The raven looks startled as he watches himself interact with his father so normally, as if they were a normal family. Father…Uryu hadn't called Ryuken father in so long and when he does he always says it with disdain towards the man.

 ** _The man begins to fuss with his son's collar and shoulder bag. "You have your bag? All of your school supplies and essentials for your dorm room." His son nods again._**

 ** _"Yes, Father."_**

 ** _"Mm. And if you need anything, or if something happens – "_**

 ** _"I will call you immediately, I promise Father."_**

This was starting to scare the bifocaled teen. He never thought he would see the day his father practically _doting_ on him; he didn't know how to feel about that. Ichigo, feeling his distress, squeezed his shoulder harder to let him know that he was here for him. Uryu barely felt it, feeling numb all over. Isshin saw this and looked concerned for him. _'That boy is gonna snap…'_

 ** _Ryuken, looking satisfied, puts his hand on his son's shoulder. "Good." He then gives a slight smile. "And Uryu, I know I haven't always been the best father to you (especially after what happened to your mother and grandfather) and I haven't always been there when you needed me the most. Just know that no matter what I've said and done in the past, I have always been proud of you no matter what decisions you've made. And I've never been prouder to be your father and to be here today to send you off to college. And if your mother and grandfather were here right now, they would be just as proud of you."_**

Uryu's hands started to twitch and shake, so he tried to steady them by gripping his black slacks. His foot was tapping the ground rapidly and he felt as though he couldn't breathe. His ears were ringing, and his heart was beating too loud and too fast, but he could hear everything his father was saying on the screen. He tried to blame it on the coffee but knew that wasn't it; the Quincy was to having an anxiety attack.

 ** _Uryu looked shocked for a moment before he smiled as he started to tear up. "Thank you…Father." Ryuken brought him into a hug, Uryu hugging back._**

That did it. And before Uryu knew what he was doing, he was up and running towards the door and down the hall. "Uryu!" without hesitation, Ichigo ran after him. Rangiku and Renji were about to go after them since they were their charges, but Isshin stopped them shaking his head. The two needed a moment alone. The two lieutenants looked unsure and turned to their respective captains who just ordered them to guard the door, letting them know in hushed tones that they were watching Kurotsuchi and his lieutenant closely. They nodded hesitantly before posting themselves at the door. Everyone muttered under their breath, wondering if the teen was okay. Isshin stared at the door sadly, wondering once again what he was going to do about his old friend. _'Ryuken…what did you do?'_

Mayuri scoffed and sneered at the two lieutenants that were in the way of his prize. He knew that they were only doing security details because of him and Nemu; the Head Captain letting him know quite plainly of this matter. To say that he was outraged was an understatement. No matter, it was no concern of his that they were doing this ridiculous guard detail to keep him away. It was just another obstacle in his plans and in the end, he always gets his way.

Uryu was running. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew that he had to get away. Away from that, away from it all, and away from everyone! The halls were just a blur the faster he ran, though that could just be the tears in his eyes. He was breathing so hard and he didn't know if it was because of how hard he was running or if it was his anxiety attack (probably a mixture of both). "Uryu!"

"Go away, Ichigo!" he yelled back as he tried to run faster.

"Uryu, slow down!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Not gonna happen!" with a burst of speed, Ichigo finally caught up and tackled the other teen to the ground. Ichigo locked his arms around his shoulders as Uryu began to struggle against him grabbing at his arms.

"Let go of me! Let go!"

"Not until…you calm down!" They rolled onto their backs as the orange head repositioned his arms quickly to hold down the other's.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Just let me go! Let me go, please!"

"No way!"

"LET GO!"

"CALM! DOWN!" with one last struggle, Uryu finally slumps against him in defeat. But the moment he did, his breathing started to become erratic. Ichigo looked at him worriedly. "Uryu. Uryu, hey!"

"I can't breathe." He gasped out. "Ichigo, I can't breathe!"

"You're hyperventilating. You need to calm down and slow you're breathing." The raven shook his head.

"I can't…I can't…"

"Here, breathe with me. In. And out. In. And out." Uryu tried but it wasn't working. "Come on, you can do it. Just focus on my voice, focus on it okay?" he hesitantly nodded. "Take a deep breath in, do as I do." he did. "Then slowly let it out." He let it out slowly. "In." he did. "And out." He let it out, starting to calm his heart. "That's it, you're doing good." They kept on doing this until Uryu finally was able to breathe normally. Once he was calm enough, they sat on the floor for almost five minutes in silence. Slowly, Ichigo retracted his arms and hesitantly put his hands on his shoulders. "…Uryu?" That seemed to make him snap out of it as Uryu slapped his hands away and got to his feet in seconds, not once looking at his cousin. Ichigo, a little stunned, slowly got to his feet and keeping his arms out a little incase he tried to run again. The teen would usually be pissed at the treatment he received but right now wasn't the time for that. He slowly approached the other as if he would lash out like a wild animal, which wouldn't be that far off. "Uryu…"

"Why?" Ichigo didn't answer, not sure if it was a rhetorical question or that Uryu was talking to himself. When all he got was silence, he asked again with more anger. "Why?!"

"…Why what, Uryu?" he answered back hesitantly. The raven whipped back around with angry tears spilling out, looking like he could spit fire with how much anger and sadness was in his eyes.

"Why, if he was _so_ proud of me, did he not once. Not once! Tell me to my face?!" he then angrily punched the wall and Ichigo stepped a little closer, looking about to restrain him again so he wouldn't hurt himself. But the other didn't punch the wall again. Instead, he leaned his forearms against the walls with his head bowed down; Uryu looked so dejected Ichigo couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "I – "he tried to get out as he choked on a sob before taking another breath. "I've spent…my whole… _entire_ life…to have my father acknowledge me. TO MAKE HIM PROUD!

He shuddered out a breath before continuing. "…But not once in my life…has he ever told me he was ever proud of me…or tell me he loved me…" he said the last part quietly but Ichigo still heard him as he tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. That just made the raven sob harder as his shoulders shook. "All I've ever g-gotten from him was how d-disappointed he was in me or how I wasn't good enough…H-how that I was FOOL for honoring our Quincy heritage." He turned around laughing humorously under his breath as he ran his fingers through his bangs. "I-I mean, I did EVERYTHING he wanted in me. I-I I gave him good grades, I became number one academically in class, I've never missed school once in my life nor do I get into any fights or-or get detention. It's not my fault I don't want to give up the only thing that I have left of my grandfather…a-a-and that makes me a disappointment?! WHAT MORE DOES HE WANT?!"

With that last outburst, he leaned into Ichigo's shoulders collapsing into sobs. Ichigo was surprised at first but got over it and slowly wrapped his arms around the distraught boy, knowing his cousin needed the comfort that was denied to him for so long and rubbed his back. Uryu cried harder into his shoulder as he hugged back tightly, as if he were afraid that he would vanish. Ichigo let him, feeling pissed at Ryuken for putting his son through this. What kind of father does this to their own son, make them feel so unloved and so unwanted? Especially after two losses and make him go through it all alone. He gets that you have to go through grief in your own way, he knows that more than anyone. But that's still no excuse to act so cold and take it out on your only family member. To try to strip away the only connection they have left of the person they loved and that ever made them feel loved. That just made him appreciate his dad and sisters more. His family would never even _think_ of doing that to him.

"I don't know, Uryu. I don't know…" with one last shuddering breath, he backed away wiping his tears. His face was red from either sobbing or embarrassment; Ichigo didn't say anything.

"I just…Gah! I just don't get it! How could he tell me up _there_ that he was proud of him from the beginning when I've never once heard him say one nice thing to me."

"…I don't know, Uryu. I can't tell you what to think or tell you how your father thinks. You're just gonna have to confront him yourself when all this is over." Uryu snorts as he wipes a stray tear angrily away.

"Easier said than done. That man is as stubborn as me."

"Look, Uryu…I'm not going to make any excuses for him. Now what he did to you was wrong, I won't argue with that. But if I learned something after my mom died…is that there is always a reason for everything and I'm sure your old man has his reasons too; shitty reasons but reasons enough."

"Right…" the raven sighed before leaning against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. Ichigo sat on the floor with him.

"Will you be okay?" Uryu took off his glasses and rubbed his face tiredly before replacing them. He nodded.

"Yeah…Yeah, I will be."

"…Do you need a minute?" another nod. "Do you want to be alone?" the raven glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before shaking his head hesitantly. The orange head put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'm here for you if you need me; the rest of our friends and family too." Uryu grabbed the hand and squeezed back.

"Right…" Uryu looked up to him. "Thank you…Ichigo." The other just smiled back, not needing to say anything else. They both sat there for a few minutes before deciding it was long enough and walked back to the theater room.

When they got back, they found everyone still talking amongst themselves. Some getting up to go to the restroom or get the occasional refreshments at the table. The whole time not once did anyone give them a single glance in their direction since they came in, which Uryu was grateful for as Ichigo guided his cousin towards their seats.

 ** _They stayed in that moment for a minute but was broken as Isshin burst into sobs in the background. "That…That was the most beautiful moment…I have ever witnessed in my entire life!" the blonde gave the man a cold glare as he separated from his son and adjusted his glasses._**

 ** _"It is very rude to intrude on another family's private moment, Isshin."_**

Uryu flinched at the word "family".

 ** _Isshin, in response just walked up to him and faced the camera to the both of them and put an arm around his friend. "Come on, don't get cold on me. We're all family here."_**

 ** _"Through marriage." he waved it away._**

 ** _"Same thing, so whether you like it or not you're stuck with me forever!"_**

 ** _Ryuken sighed. "Unfortunately." he suddenly elbowed him in the gut hard. Isshin making a bug-eyed, pained expression. "Oops, muscle spasm."_**

 ** _"Liar…" the man moaned out before him and the camera began to fall to the floor._**

Some people snickered; Uryu even gave a small amused smile. Ichigo saw and was glad that his cousin was starting to feel better.

 ** _BUZZ!_**

 ** _The camera is then shown of Yuzu's face as she checks if the camera is alright, then turns the camera to show her father on the ground holding his stomach looking miserable. She then turns it onto her brother and cousin who are standing in front of the school with small smiles on their faces. "Well, this is it you guys." Said Ichigo. He then turns to his companion. "You ready, Uryu." Uryu takes a deep breath before letting it out to get rid of his nerves._**

 ** _"As I'll ever be."_**

 ** _"Alright. Well then…" suddenly he grins mischievously and before Uryu knew it, Ichigo pushes him to the ground before running off cackling towards where the dorms are. "FIRST ONE IN GETS TO CHOOSE THE BED!" In a mad dash, Uryu angrily runs after him._**

 ** _"ICHIGO, COME ON! THAT IS SO IMMATURE!"_**

Everyone laughed good naturedly, glad that the tense atmosphere is practically gone. Ichigo laughing the hardest when Uryu punched him in the arm.

 ** _"Bye guys! Have a good semester!" Yuzu calls after them as she films their disappearing forms before turning away towards her twin. Karin sighs before looking fondly in the direction the boys went._**

 ** _"Boys will be boys no matter how much they grow up." Yuzu giggles._**

"Yeah, no kidding." Karin muttered in agreement.

 ** _"There they go." She turns the camera onto the other men in their group. Her father gave a proud smile. "Off to make a life for themselves. We did good, huh Ryuken?" when he doesn't get a response, he turns questioning eyes on her uncle. "You alright, man?" Ryuken looks after the direction they went with slight worried eyes._**

 ** _"…Do you think they'll be alright?"_**

Uryu stared stunned. He's never seen his father look so worried on his behalf.

 ** _Isshin just chuckles before squeezing his shoulder comfortingly. "Of course, they will. They'll be just fine…I know it." Ryuken glances at him before nodding in consent._**

 ** _BUZZ!_**

Uryu stared at the screen in amazement before he jumped when he felt a squeeze on his shoulder and looked to see Ichigo's hand still on his shoulder. Ichigo gave him a soft smile and Uryu couldn't help but give a small smile in return before he turned back to the screen.

 ** _[OPENING THEME SONG: Asterisk]_**

 ** _[The scene shows a playback of the last episode where Hollow Sora is shrieking in Ichigo's room as he takes a swipe at Ichigo but misses. Ichigo jumps back before bringing up his Zanpakuto.]_**

 **Ichigo: You're mine! _[He cuts into the mask but it's not deep enough.]_**

 **Rukia: Too shallow.**

 ** _[Cracks form on the top corner of the mask, revealing parts of Sora's face. Ichigo gasps in shock as Hollow Sora roars in pain.]_**

 **Ichigo: What? _[Sora screams before leaving through the ceiling in a garganta.]_ I got a look at that thing's face. _[He turns to Rukia with a look of disbelief.]_ And it was Orihime's dead brother.**

 ** _[Sora moans in pain as the mask reforms and shrieks before the screen switches to a picture of Orihime with "Bleach 03". The scene switches back to Ichigo in his room looking shocked.]_**

 **Ichigo: I just don't get it. Why did Orihime's brother attack us?**

 **Rukia: Not us, just you. Judging from the last Hollow you killed, I would guess there's a more powerful Hollow behind this that wants to consume your spirit energy. It probably has several Hollows under its control. It knows where you are now and is sending other Hollows here to carry out its orders…That would explain why Orihime's brother has come to attack you. _[Suddenly, Ichigo lunges forward and grabs the front of Rukia's shirt angrily.]_**

Ichigo gripped his Zanpakuto angrily. Grande Fisher making other poor souls to go after him just because he missed his intended target the last time, and all because of his hunger and greed. It makes him sick and pissed off. _'Well just try it, you freak! Because when I see your ugly face, you're mine…'_ he could feel in his soul that his Zanpakuto spirits agreed with him wholeheartedly on this.

 **Ichigo: Did you expect me to kill him now? There's no way I could do that. _[She swipes his hand away.]_**

 **Rukia: You have to do it. You haven't got a choice. If you don't kill him, he'll wander around forever. _[He looks away, unsure.]_**

Orihime flinched at the word "kill" and the mention of her brother in the same sentence.

"Uh, you mean purify right?" Ichigo corrected blandly, making Rukia glare at him.

"Yes, I meant that."

 **Rukia: And he'll keep coming after you again and again until he gets your soul. _[Her eyes widen in realization.]_ Wait, you aren't the only one in danger.**

 **Ichigo: Who else would he want?**

 **Rukia: …Orihime, his sister. _[Claw marks streak on the screen, turning back to Orihime and Tatsuki at Orihime's apartment.]_**

 **Orihime: Wow, that was just the best dinner, wasn't it?**

 **Tatsuki: Yeah, it really was, thanks. You got any dessert? _[Scene switches to the pink bear on the shelf.]_**

 **Orihime: [OFFSCREEN] I'm out of ice cream. But I do have some bean sprout and some eggplant jelly we can pour over that.**

Everyone but Rangiku and Orihime turned green at the imagery.

 ** _[With a flash, a tear appears on the top of the bear's head.]_**

Orihime gasped in horror. "Oh Enroku!"

 **Tatsuki: [OFFSCREEN] Ew, no thanks. _[Orihime laughs as the bear falls to the ground. They look over in confusion.]_**

 **Orihime: Huh?**

 **Tatsuki: Did you hear that? _[Orihime gasps before crawling towards the bear and picking it up.]_**

 **Orihime: Poor Enroku fell down. Oh my gosh, how'd you get this big rip in your head?**

 ** _[Suddenly, a crash is heard from outside and they look up in confusion, wondering what that was. The sounds continue before the scene switches to Ichigo leaping off the roof of buildings with Rukia on his back as they head towards Orihime's apartment. Ichigo running along on telephone wires.]_**

"Sweet! You really are like a super hero!" Keigo exclaimed excitedly. The orange head rolled his eyes

 **Ichigo: So then Hollows will attack their own families?**

 **Rukia: Brothers, sisters, even children.**

 **Ichigo: So, explain, why would they do that?**

 **Rukia: Hollows are fallen souls, souls that were not guided into the Soul Society by a Soul Reaper. Souls that were not protected from other Hollows. Abandoned, they fall and lose their hearts and become Hollows themselves. Now that this Hollow has failed to devour your soul, I'm sure he will go after his sister, the person he loved the most when he was alive. Remember the bruise we saw on Orihime's leg? She said it was from being hit by a car. But I've seen marks like that before. _[The scene shows a shot of Orihime's leg, showcasing the bruise before switching back.]_ That mark could only have been left by a Hollow.**

 **Ichigo: So, you think her brother's already tried to kill her once. And he's about to try it again?**

 **Rukia: That's very possible.**

 ** _[With a grunt, he leaps off the wires before the scene transitions back to the apartment. The two girls looking apprehensive as Tatsuki looks around with heavy footsteps sounding in the background as they come closer. They turned towards the doors as they wonder what is approaching. Blood drips to the floor causing Orihime to look down to see blood on her hand coming from the neck of the bear. Her hand trembles as she shudders in disbelief at the sight.]_**

 **Orihime: What? Is this blood? _[Suddenly, she gasps as the screen freezeframes and shows a clawed hand coming out of the bear and going through her body. Orihime's body falls backwards with blank eyes as Tatsuki watches in confusion and fear.]_**

"Orihime!" shouted both Tatsuki and Ichigo while their friends and the twins gasp in horror. Orihime watches with wide eyes filled with fear. The rest looked on with calculating looks and tense shoulders.

 **Tatsuki: Uh, Orihime? _[A shadow falls over and she looks over to see nothing when suddenly a force pushes her. She falls with a scream and grunts as she bounces off the wall to the floor. She shudders in pain as blood drips from her shoulder. Tatsuki holds it in confusion.]_**

Orihime gasps. "Oh no, Tatsuki!" _'Brother, no…'_

 **Tatsuki: What happened? And why am I bleeding? _[Suddenly, the force pushes her harshly away and she grunts as she tumbles around painfully on the floor. Tatsuki moans before getting up on her knees and looks around fearfully before seeing an invisible Hollow Sora towering over her, his figure nothing more than a warbling signature.]_ Somethings here. But I-I don't see anything. _[Tatsuki is pushed to the ground and she puts her arm up, looking as if she can hold off whatever is holding her down. Terrified, she tries to look for her attacker as a clawed handprint is shown on the floor beside her.]_ What's happening? Who's there?**

"Brother no! Don't hurt her!" Tatsuki brought her into her arms, but she was just as scared for Orihime as Orihime was for her.

 ** _[The girl shakes and whimpers in fear as the screen finally shows Hollow Sora leaning forebodingly over her. Orihime's soul watches fearfully from the other side of the room, her Chain of Fate linked to her body.]_**

 ** _Orihime's Thoughts: What's going on? What is that-that monster? And what is it doing to Tatsuki? [The screen shows Orihime's point of view as she watches her brother leaning over Tatsuki. When his tail moved, she sees her body on the ground with her chain linked to it before moving out of her point of view.] Who's that?_**

 **Orihime: That's me. But how? _[Her chain rattles and she look down, finally noticing her chain connected to her chest. She gasps as she grasps it.]_ Where did this come from? _[She pulls.]_**

"No, don't do that!" Rukia yells out in worry.

 **Orihime: I-I can't breathe. _[Tatsuki yelps when Hollow Sora grips her neck.]_**

"Tatsuki!"

"Damn it!"

 **Orihime: Tatsuki! _[She gets to her feet.]_ I can't just sit here. I've got to do something. _[Orihime runs towards them and with a yell, she shoves away his arm freeing Tatsuki from his hold before falling to the floor.]_**

Orihime sighs in relief, glad that her friend was safe for now.

 ** _[Tatsuki coughs as she breathes, Orihime crawling to her and comfortingly touches her.]_**

 **Orihime: Tatsuki! Are you okay?**

 ** _[Tatsuki, not being able to see her friend, only sees an invisible hand on her shoulder and yanks away with a scream before backing away into the wall shaking. Orihime watches her concerned beside her.]_**

 **Tatsuki: Ah! Get back! Stay away!**

 **Orihime: What are you screaming about Tatsuki? It's just me. What's wrong?**

"She's screaming because she can't see you." commented Momo, feeling sympathetic towards the girls.

 **Sora: It's useless talking to her now Orihime. She can't hear us. She can't even see us. _[Tatsuki faints.]_**

 **Orihime: Tatsuki! Why not? And how do you know my name? _[The screen gives a close up of Sora's eye, looking angry and sad.]_**

"Sora…"

 **Sora: That makes me sad Orihime. Have you forgotten my voice? How could you? It's me, can't you tell? _[He gets close to her, but she backs away.]_**

 **Orihime: What are you talking about?**

 **Sora: It makes me sad Orihime, very, very sad.**

 ** _[Hollow Sora, in anger lunges her hand towards her. Orihime shields her face with her hands and closes her eyes as she waits for the impact.]_**

"Orihime!" her friends shout.

 ** _[But when nothing happens, she tentatively opens her eyes and looks up.]_**

 **Orihime: Huh? _[The scene shows Ichigo in front of her holding back Hollow Sora's hand with his Zanpakuto.]_**

They all sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." Said Tatsuki.

Orihime smiled at the orange head in gratitude. "Thank you, Ichigo." Said teen just looks back and smirks, making her blush slightly.

 **Ichigo: I am the one that you're really after. Leave her alone and fight me.**

 ** _[With a grunt, he pushes back hard enough to cut and draw blood from the Hollow's hand.]_**

Orihime gasps and covers her mouth at the sight of the blood but knows that it is necessary in order for her brother to pass on. Didn't mean she had to like it.

 ** _[Hollow Sora roars as Ichigo lunges towards him, but the Hollow backs away into a garganta as he escapes. Ichigo holds his Zanpakuto at the ready, waiting to see if he comes back as Orihime watches him in awe. Ichigo looks over at Tatsuki's unconscious form on the ground.]_**

 ** _Ichigo's Thoughts: Damn Tatsuki, how did you get caught up in all this?_**

"Wrong place at the wrong time I guess." She answered back unhelpfully. _'Or right time. If I wasn't there to distract Sora, Orihime would be dead by now before Ichigo could make it.'_ She didn't voice it out though since she knew how her childhood friend would react.

 **Orihime: Ichigo.**

 **Ichigo: Huh?**

 **Orihime: Thank you for rescuing us from that thing. But where did you come from?**

 **Ichigo: Whoa, hold on a minute. How in the hell can you see me?**

 **Orihime: Why shouldn't I?**

 ** _[Suddenly, it dawns on him as he sees her Chain of Fate on her chest that's connected to her body. His eyes widen in shock.]_**

 ** _~ Flashback ~_**

 ** _Rukia: Soul Reapers are spirit beings. And as such, no ordinary humans will be able to see you. Only other spirit beings can see you._**

 ** _~ Present ~_**

"Wait, if that's true does that mean Orihime's dead?!" exclaimed Tatsuki, her friend except Uryu also having a worried look.

"Don't worry, as long as her chain is still linked to her body she won't die." Said Renji, causing them to sigh in relief.

 **Ichigo: Then she's –**

 **Sora: That's right. She's a spirit being now. _[The area above them where Hollow Sora disappeared in wavers like a ripple in water before smoke appears from it, revealing the Hollow.]_ In other words, Orihime is dead. _[Ichigo screams as he lunges again at the Hollow and swings but misses. Hollow Sora dodges away and grabs Orihime's chain, yanking her up with him.]_**

"Orihime!"

 ** _[The teen swings his sword again but is blocked by the tail and pushed away out the window with a grunt, Rukia watching him from outside. He skids to a holt in the air by solidifying the reishi under his feet. He lets out a breath as he crouches, looking up to see Orihime in her brother's grip.]_**

 **Sora: Stay back.**

 **Orihime: [SCREAMS]**

"No!" yelled Tatsuki.

 **Rukia: [GASP]**

 ** _[Hollow Sora swings his tail downwards towards the teen, knocking him to the ground with a grunt.]_**

 **Ichigo: Hi-yah!**

"Sora, no! Don't do this!"

"Ichigo!" His friends and family yelled out in concern.

 **Rukia: Ichigo! _[The Hollow slithers back inside as Rukia runs to him in concern, kneeling down to his form.]_ Ichigo! Get up! Ichigo! Ichigo!**

 **Orihime: Ichigo, no! He's hurt. I have to go help him. Let me go. _[She struggles in his grip.]_ Let me go!**

 **Sora: Orihime, have you forgotten me? _[She turns to him before looking into his eyes, realizing who it is.]_**

 **Orihime: Sora? …Is that…you? _[Cut to Ichigo and Rukia.]_**

 **Rukia: Ichigo, come on, get up. _[With a groan, he gets to his knees as he holds his head painfully. Blood runs down his face from his forehead.]_**

"Oh no, Ichi-nii you're hurt!" Yuzu exclaimed tearfully. Ichigo rubbed her head comfortingly.

"I'll be fine, Yuzu."

"But – "

"Trust me." The light-haired girl paused before nodding.

 **Ichigo: I'm trying.**

 **Rukia: This is not going to be easy. So where are you hurt?**

 **Ichigo: Like you care. Forget about it, I'm ok.**

 **Rukia: Good, because you've got work to do. Listen carefully. That Hollow may have been her brother once. But now it's nothing but a monster. You've got to stop it. It has no heart. So, put aside all your feelings and destroy it.**

"You mean send it off." Mizuiro corrected. The midget's brow twitched in annoyance.

"Yes." She gritted out.

 ** _[The scene cuts back inside where Hollow Sora puts his sister back down.]_**

 **Orihime: Are you…really Sora, my brother?**

 **Sora: Yes Orihime, it's me.**

 **Orihime: You're lying. My brother was gentle. He would never do these things you're doing.**

 **Sora: I was so lonely.**

"What?" Orihime mumbled.

 **Orihime: Oh.**

 **Sora: You were beginning to forget about me sister, a little more each day.**

"What? No, Sora, that's not true. I would never. I –"

 ** _[Scene fades as it shows a younger Orihime kneeling on the floor praying to Sora's photo.]_**

 **Sora: After I died, you prayed for me every day. I watched you. It was your prayers and your thoughts that gave me peace. It relieved me of my loneliness. _[Cuts back to Hollow Sora.]_ But after a year had gone by things changed. You became friends with that girl.**

"Tatsuki?"

 **Orihime: Huh?**

 ** _[Scene shows the younger Orihime and a younger Tatsuki running and laughing together as they held hands. It then shows them hanging out in the background with Sora's picture in the forefront, looking lonely and dejected looking.]_**

 **Sora: And then, I saw that you began to pray for me less and less. _[Scene then shows Orihime in the present, surrounded by some of her classmates as she smiles and laughs.]_ Then, when you entered high school, you stopped praying for me completely. _[Cuts to Sora's photo before a light shines on it and causes a glare to refract, replacing it with his Hollowfied face.]_ That's why I was so lonely. _[Cuts back to Orihime, looking distressed.]_**

Orihime watches with tears in her eyes. "No…that's not true. Sora, you don't understand…"

 **Orihime: Sora, you don't underst- _[He grabs her shoulders.]_**

 **Sora: Just listen to me Orihime. If you still have even a shred of love for me, you will not betray me again. Do exactly as I say. I will deal with him. It won't take long. I shall devour this Soul Reaper and put an end to this.**

"No! Don't, Sora!"

 ** _[Hollow Sora is about to go outside but Orihime stops him.]_**

 **Orihime: No! Don't! This doesn't have anything to do with Ichigo. Leave him alone. It's not right for you to hurt him just because –**

 **Sora: Shut up Orihime. Don't tell me what's right when it's your fault I've become this monster. _[He suddenly grabs her and starts to squeeze the life out of her.]_ I should kill you first for the way you've abandoned me, for choosing this girl and Ichigo over honoring my memory. I'll kill you.**

 _'What…? So, this is…all my fault? I did this to him?'_ she thought this as tears streamed down her face. Suddenly it all made sense now. Tatsuki didn't think so.

"That's not true! It's not her fault that you – "

"Tatsuki, don't!" the teen paused and looked to her friend in shock.

"But Orihime – "

"Sora's right, it is all my fault that he's the way that he is." She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief she had in her pocket. "If I…if I hadn't asked him to stay with me, he would've been at peace by now. If I hadn't been so selfish and felt like I needed him with me…he wouldn't have felt so lonely."

"Orihime…"

The girl covered her face and sobbed into her hands. "Oh Sora, I'm so sorry." She cried.

"…That's not true, Orihime." Said Ichigo.

Orihime paused and wiped at her eyes. "What?" she looked up to see Ichigo and Rukia staring at her with serious frowns. "Ichigo…what do you mean?"

"I'm saying stop blaming yourself; it's not your fault. None of this was ever your fault. Plus, it wouldn't have mattered since Grande Fisher is targeting me specifically."

"What…?"

"He's right, Orihime." She turned her eyes onto the small raven. "Even if it wasn't your brother's soul to turn into a Hollow and go after Ichigo, another's poor soul would have been turned into one and sent off to attack him regardless. The only thing that makes this different is that Ichigo knew your brother before and Grande Fisher knew that he would hesitate to attack him. That Hollow took advantage of this knowledge and used it against Ichigo. So, whether or not you asked your brother to stay it wouldn't have mattered anyway; the results would've been the same if it was different soul."

Orihime took in a shuddering breath. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So…what that means is…"

"It was never your fault, Orihime." Ichigo said sincerely. Orihime burst into new tears of relief as Tatsuki rubbed her back soothingly.

"Thank you…Ichigo…Rukia…"

 **Ichigo: No, you won't, you freak. _[Ichigo stabs into the Hollow's tail and he shrieks in pain as he struggles to dislodge the teen. The teen holds on with a yell before stabbing him again and again. Hollow Sora wails as he lets go of his sister in the process. Orihime lands on the floor with a grunt. Hollow Sora reaches for her again but is intercepted by Ichigo who slices his hand clean off. The teen kneels down to the other as Orihime coughs.]_ Let me ask you something Captain Overbite. _[He stands and faces the Hollow.]_ Do you know why Big Brothers are born first?**

Lots of people became confused, wondering where he was going with this. Rukia wanted to know too.

 **Ichigo: There's a reason. They're born first so that they can look out for their little brothers and sisters and protect them. _[Just then, Rukia appears at the front door.]_**

 **Rukia: Ichigo!**

 **Ichigo: And here, you threaten to kill your own sister, even a dead man doesn't ever have the right to say that.**

 _'To…protect them…'_ the small raven glanced at her brother questioningly at this. Rukia looked away quickly before he would notice. _'I see…'_

 **Sora: Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. Orihime is mine. I was 15 when she was born. And I raised her when our parents abandoned us. To me she has been more like a daughter than a sister. _[Cuts to Orihime looking down in sadness.]_ Orihime, come with me now, back to when it was just you and me, happy together. _[She looks up as he holds his hand out to her.]_ If you'll come, then I promise I will spare these other souls.**

"No, Orihime! Don't listen to him!" shouted Tatsuki.

 ** _[Orihime gets to her feet with a tear streaking down her face, looking about to consider his offer but Rukia stops her.]_**

 **Rukia: Wait, it's a trap. You can't believe him because he doesn't have the feelings of a brother anymore.**

 **Orihime: Are you sure? _[The screen closes in on Orihime's hairpin, catching her brother's interest as his eyes widen.]_**

 **Sora: That hairpin.**

Orihime touches her hairpins unconsciously.

 ** _~ Flashback ~_**

 ** _[The scene shows a toddler Orihime running and laughing with her arms outstretched before transitioning to Sora from when he was alive. He's kneeling down to her fondly before it transitions back into her as a child laughing and running with her arms outstretched again. It shows them in front of a school with Orihime standing proudly with a school uniform. Once more it shows her as a preteen running and laughing before showing them hugging.]_**

 ** _Orihime: I love you Big Brother._**

 ** _~ Present ~_**

 ** _[The scene fades back as it shows Sora struggling internally, the red in his eyes slowly receding back to their normal color.]_**

 **Sora: [GROANING] Brother? _[With a grunt and a shake of his head, he slams it into the wall as he groans in pain.]_**

"Brother!" everyone else looks either shocked or intrigued by this development in a Hollow.

"What's happening?" Ichigo inquired.

Gin grinned in interest. "How very strange. Even though this Hollow is still brand new, I've never would have guessed that the soul inside would actually try to fight the Hollow from within. And over a silly piece of jewelry…" He hummed in thought. _'Very intriguing indeed. Hmm…I wonder if dear Lord Aizen thought this into his precious plans when he sent Grande Fisher to that Kurosaki prince…?'_

Izuru looks at his captain in confusion. "Captain?"

 **Orihime: [GASP] Brother!**

 **Rukia: What is this? _[Hollow Sora's shoulders shake before he backs away from the wall slightly.]_**

 **Sora: Orihime. Is. Mine! _[With a lunge he tries to take a bite out of Ichigo, but the teen blocks him by using his sword and lodging it in between the jaws with a grunt. Ichigo struggles to push back.]_**

 **Ichigo: Orihime doesn't belong to anyone, [GRUNTS] and least of all, to you. _[With a yell, Ichigo pushes Hollow Sora with enough force to thrust him outside through the hole in the wall. Hollow Sora falls out before taking to the skies, Ichigo right behind him before they begin to collide.]_ Ah! _[The Soul Reaper in training raises his sword and has him right where he wants him but hesitates.]_**

"What are you doing, you idiot?! Kill it already!" shouted Ikkaku, causing Orihime to whimper and Ichigo to throw an empty bowl of popcorn at his head for his insensitivity.

"How about you shut the hell up, Chrome Dome!" The bald Soul Reaper was about to lash back, but Yumichika grabbed his arm before he did something stupid. The flamboyant man gave him a pleasant smile.

"My apologies for my friend, Your Majesty. My name is Yumichika Ayasegawa, Fifth Seat of Squad 11 and this here is Ikkaku Madarame, Third Seat of Squad 11. Please don't be angry with him, Ikkaku sometimes doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut but I can assure you that he means well." Ichigo scoffed but nodded.

 **Rukia: Do it! What are you waiting for?**

 ** _[Unfortunately, he hesitates for too long as Hollow Sora opens his maw and spits out this green fluid at his hand, causing it to burn with a hiss. Ichigo grunts in pain causing him to let go of his Zanpakuto and fall towards the ground, the Hollow's tail colliding with his back to make the impact go faster. Luckily, Ichigo was able to land on his feet and wobbly stands up, not realizing that Hollow Sora was flying towards him until it's too late.]_**

"SORA, NO!"

 ** _[The Hollow opens his jaws with a shout and clamps down but doesn't reach its intended target. In his place is Orihime, her shoulder in his jaws as she hugs his head. Ichigo stares in shock.]_**

"NO, ORIHIME!" Shouted Tatsuki as her classmates and the twins gasp in shock. Orihime on the other hand sighed in relief, glad that she made it in time.

 **Ichigo: Orihime…**

 ** _[In a state of disbelief, Hollow Sora lets go causing her to collapse to her knees but doesn't let go of her brother's head.]_**

 **Sora: Orihime, why did you do that?**

 **Orihime: Sora, I had to save Ichigo. Because this is all my fault. The reason you're this way…it's because of me. Because I begged you not to leave me alone.**

 ** _~ Flashback: Three years ago. ~_**

 ** _[Scene shows back to the night of the accident. Sora on a stretcher and being wheeled into the ambulance, Orihime beside him.]_**

 ** _Orihime: [SOBBING] Sora, don't die. Don't leave me all alone brother. You can't. You can't._**

 ** _~ Present ~_**

Orihime began to cry anew at the terrible memory of that night.

 **Orihime: That's why…you weren't able to find peace. And it's all my fault.**

 **Sora: Oh, Orihime.**

 **Orihime: Since you died, I've always had the sense that you were watching over me. Because I asked you to. Even yesterday, when that car was about to hit me, _[Cuts to the yesterday where the car was about to hit her before fading back to the bruise on her leg.]_ you protected me didn't you? I have this mark because you pulled my leg to get me out of the way in time. That was you, wasn't it? _[Rukia approaches.]_**

 **Rukia: That explains it.**

 **Orihime: Then one day I realized that if I kept depending on you to stay by my side, you'd never be able to rest in peace. _[She looks up to him with a sad smile.]_ But if I showed you… [SHUDDERS] that my life was really happy and that you didn't need to worry about me anymore you could pass on. I never dreamed of it would make you sad and lonely. [SOBBING] I would never want to do that to you Brother. _[She lets go and collapses, Sora looking panicked.]_**

"Orihime!"

 **Sora: Orihime – _[He then begins to struggle internally as his mask transitions from his face to his mask and back again.]_ [SCREAMS] _[Ichigo stares in disbelief while Rukia watches calmly.]_**

"Sora!"

 **Ichigo: Rukia. What the hell's happening to him?**

 **Rukia: The part of him that's still human is fighting the Hollow for control. Evidently this one didn't become a Hollow by choice. He must've been taken over. _[The screen showcases Sora struggling.]_**

 **Ichigo: [OFFSCREEN] Taken over? By who?**

 **Rukia: [OFFSCREEN] A soul that is devoured by a strong Hollow is manipulated by that strong Hollow. _[Cuts to when Sora was running through Hueco Mundo and being devoured by the Hollows before cutting back.]_ And that Hollow desires your spirit energy. So, it took over this poor soul planning to use it to attack you. It hoped that since you knew this soul in life you would hesitate to fight him, which, in fact, you did. Right now, the brother's soul is desperately fighting that Hollow for his sister's sake.**

 **Sora: [MOANING] Orihime! _[With a pause, the mask finally shatters and revealing Sora's face. Orihime watches with tears in her eyes before collapsing.]_ No.**

"Sora…" Orihime smiled in relief.

 **Ichigo: Orihime! _[He starts to run to her but Rukia stops him as she approaches.]_**

 **Rukia: It's all right. Fortunately, the Chain of Fate is still connected to her chest. As long as it's attached to her, she will not die. I need to treat her. Stay back. _[She kneels down and turns Orihime on her back.]_ The power of my Kido should be able to save her. _[Rukia's hand glows green as she starts to heal Orihime's shoulder. Sora's eye catches Orihime's hairpin again and he gasps.]_**

 **Ichigo: That hairpin she's wearing was a present from you, wasn't it Sora? _[Sora leans down to her with a sad reminiscent look.]_ She told me that once. That's why she wears it every single day. _[Sora looks on with a shuddering breath before closing his eyes with a look of resignation and stands up.]_**

Orihime looks up confused at what her brother is doing and gasps.

 ** _[He slowly turns away and slithers towards the fallen Zanpakuto that's embedded to the ground. Hesitantly he grabs the sword and holds it up, the large sword looking normal in his hand. Ichigo watches confused.]_**

 **Ichigo: Hmm? What are you doing?**

 **Sora: I only have a short time before the Hollow overwhelms me again and changes me back into a monster. So, while I'm sane and can still think clearly, I'll end this. _[With both hands he holds it towards his throat, Ichigo trying to stop him.]_**

 **Ichigo: No, wait, don't do that.**

 **Rukia: Ichigo. _[He turns to Rukia who is still healing Orihime.]_ It's all right. He made the right decision. Once you become a Hollow you can never go back to what you were again. Passing on is the best thing for him.**

 **Ichigo: But Rukia –**

 **Rukia: It's ok. You'll learn that exorcising a Hollow is not the same thing as killing it… You're cleansing its soul and allowing it to enter the Soul Society. That's why Soul Reapers exist in the first place, to help all souls find their way and finally rest in peace.**

Ichigo stares blandly at the screen. "Again, you could have just told me that in the first place."

Rukia growls in annoyance and stands up glaring at him. "I KNOW THAT, ALREADY! SO, YOU ALL QUIT REPEATING IT EVERY DAMN TIME!"

"Well, if you want me to do your _stupid_ _job_ you should've given me all the necessary information that I needed in the first place!"

"He's got a point there."

"SHUT IT, RENJI! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT YOU'RE BAD AT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS!"

"ARE YOU CALLING ME STUPID?! WELL IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN YOU'RE INCOMPETENT! SO, DON'T BLAME ME BECAUSE OF YOUR BAD TEACHING!"

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"WOULD THE BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?!"

"STAY OUT OF IT PINEAPPLE/RENJI!"

 **Ichigo: Huh… Huh? _[He looks up to see Sora nodding as he hums in agreement. Just when he was about to do it, he was stopped again.]_**

 **Orihime: Wait. I have to tell you something.**

 **Sora: Huh? _[He looks down to see Orihime awake and turns her head towards him with a soft smile.]_**

Tatsuki sighed in relief, glad that she was okay.

 **Orihime: This hairpin, remember the argument we had about it…the day you gave it to me? _[Sora looks at her with pained eyes.]_ I said I didn't like it because I thought it didn't look grown up enough for me. _[The scene fades to when the argument happened.]_ I knew I hurt your feelings. And you left without saying anything else. _[It then cuts to when he died on the stretcher with Orihime crying by his side before fading back to the present, her hairpins gleaming.]_ And it was the last time I saw you alive. So now I want to say what I should have said to you when you went off to work that day. _[Orihime slowly gets to a sitting position, with Rukia helping to steady her, before giving him a final sad smile to her brother with tears flowing down her eyes.]_ My brother…have a good day.**

Orihime smile tearfully, happy that she was finally able to properly say goodbye to her brother.

 **Sora: Thanks…Orihime.**

 ** _[Sora gives her a smile in return before closing his eyes in peace as he fades away in a shimmer of light. The sword slowly drops to the ground with a clink as Sora's spirit particles fade up to the heavens like stars. Orihime watches on still with that sad smile before bursting into sobs of grief and relief into Rukia's shoulder.]_**

Lots of people had tears in their eyes at the sad but happy ending between the siblings, some even dramatically bursting into tears as they hugged the nearest person _(cough Izuru and Shuhei cough)_. Yumichika delicately brushed a tear away. "What a beautiful ending." Suddenly he heard whimpering and glanced beside him to see Ikkaku's bottom lip trembling as he tried in vain to hold in his tears. The other grinned. "Oh my, Ikkaku. Are you crying?" the bald man blushed in embarrassment and glared at his companion.

"NO, I'M NOT! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" he replied defensively.

Yumichika began to laugh. "Oh ho ho, that is so precious!"

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT CRYING! MEN LIKE ME DON'T CRY!" Ikkaku said stubbornly with tears still in his eyes. His friend patted him in faux sympathy.

"Awe, that's okay Ikkaku. It takes a big man to admit that he did."

"I SAID SHUT IT!" Yumichika just laughed on.

 ** _[The scene then transitions to the next day where Orihime and some of her female classmates are having lunch on the school roof.]_**

 **Michiru: No way.**

 **Orihime: Really. What happened was a Sumo wrestler with a gun blasted a hole though the wall into my room last night. _[Her friends stare at her, not believing a word of it.]_**

"Huh? Wait, I'm confused." Said Keigo scratching his head. Everyone else just sweat-dropped at her thought process.

"I don't understand; that's not what happened?" said Orihime looking just as confused as her classmate.

"I must've erased both your memories of that night." Said Rukia. Orihime and Tatsuki looked scandalized.

"What?! That's not fair!" said Tatsuki, outraged.

"But why?" inquired Orihime.

"It's necessary protocol to do so when anything supernatural happens in the World of the Living." Shunsui informed regrettably. Orihime looked sadden by this.

"So…that means I won't remember saying goodbye to my brother?" Rukia sadly shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Orihime, but if a human doesn't have enough reiryoku to withstand the memory replacement there is nothing we can do; it has to be done." The female teen looked down sadly but accepted the fact. Ichigo, not liking how sad she was becoming, tried to cheer her.

"Wh-hey Orihime, look on the bright side. Since we're in this dimension and watching this, that means we don't have to forget any of this." Orihime looked up hopefully at him.

"Really?" he nodded

"Of course. After all, what would be the point of watching our future if we're just gonna forget it later? We're here to change the future right?"

"Hey yeah, you're right." Tatsuki said positively and soon everyone began to give their agreement to this logic. And really, what would be the point of all this?

 **Mihana: Huh? Please, Orihime, if you're going to make up stories at least make them sound realistic. Like, maybe a pro wrestling match spilled out of the ring.**

 _'That still wouldn't have made sense…'_ Ichigo and Uryu thought with sweat-drops.

 **Michiru: [LAUGHING] She got you.**

 **Chizuru: Don't listen to them Orihime. I like your wild Imagination. _[From the background, Ichigo and Rukia watches them from where they're standing on the roof with blank looks.]_**

 **Orihime: But it's not a made-up story. I swear. It really happened. Right Tatsuki?**

 **Tatsuki: [OFFSCREEN] Well, yeah. I remember something last night. _[Ichigo glances over to Rukia.]_**

 **Ichigo: So that's what you did yesterday, huh?**

 **Rukia: [NODS] Mm-hmm.**

 ** _~ Flashback: Last night. ~_**

 ** _Orihime: Ichigo, what's with these monsters and that big sword? And WAH! [Rukia holds what looks like a lighter in her face and with a click a puff of smoke blows up in Orihime's face. With that, she faints to the ground as a duck head on a spring pops out of the device as it swings back and forth. Ichigo stares in shock.]_**

 ** _Ichigo: Orihime! What did you do to her?_**

 ** _Rukia: Memory replacement. I wiped out her memory of the night's events and gave her a new one._**

 ** _Ichigo: Memory replacement? [Rukia just walks away before dragging over Tatsuki's unconscious form next to Orihime.]_**

 ** _Rukia: Unfortunately, there's no way to predict what her memory will be replaced with. So tomorrow we'll find out what she thinks happened tonight._**

 ** _~ Present ~_**

"Okay, I get that and all. But why did the device have to be so dorky looking?" said Ichigo. Rukia glared at him.

"It is not dorky, it is a kikanshinki! A standard issued memory replacer that is given to every Soul Reaper that is deployed to the World of the Living!"

Ichigo shrugged. "Yeah, but couldn't you make them look cooler or something like the ones they have in the 'Men in Black' movies?" Uryu snorted into his hand while others that knew what he was talking about either snickered or laughed. Rukia and the rest of the Soul Reapers just looked confused.

 **Ichigo: You used the same thing on my family the other day, didn't you?**

 **Rukia: That's right, I did. _[When he doesn't say anything back, she looks at him in concern.]_ …What's wrong?**

 **Ichigo: I'm still not ready to actually commit to this or anything. Heh. I'm not so noble a person that I can promise to risk my life for a complete stranger just like that. On the other hand, though…I could never just stand around and watch while someone else was being hurt. So, I'll help you. _[He holds his hand out to her for her to shake.]_ At least, I will for now, with this work of yours, as a Soul Reaper. _[Rukia stares at him for a moment before smiling, glad and taking his hand in acceptance. The scene closing to the sky and fading to white.]_**

 **Rukia: Good, I'm counting on you.**

 ** _[CLOSING THEME SONG: Life is Like a Boat]_**

When the song ended, everyone applauded as green texts appeared on the screen.

 ** _WE WILL HAVE A SHORT INTERMISSION! THE NEXT EPISODE WILL SHOW IN TWO HOURS!_**

Isshin stood up and cracked his back. "Well, looks like we're getting a break. In the meantime, Jushiro! Unohana!" the two captains turned to him. The former captain waved them over as he walked towards the door. "Come on! I'll give you that examination that you wanted yesterday." Jushiro and a few others looked excited at this while Unohana looked pleased as they stood.

"Do you want me to go with you, Captain?" asked Sentaro. Kiyone looked incensed at this.

"Hold on, Idiot! Who said you could go with the Captain?" he glared back at her.

"Well nobody asked you that you could go, Pipsqueak! You'll just get under everyone's feet if you went!"

"Well nobody asked you neither, since you'll obvious be more in the way with that big head of yours!"

"What?!" suddenly, they paused when they felt a chill down their spine and an ominous aura behind them. They slowly turned around and what they saw made them pale. Ichigo was standing over them in the seat behind them with a clearly annoyed and scary expression, a dark aura surrounding him and making him terrifying. The two started to tremble, permeating sweat.

"Um…" they mumbled in sync. With a twitch of his eyebrow, Ichigo knocked both of them on the heads causing them to grow large bumps. "OW!" He growled threateningly, making them hold each other in fear. "EEP!"

"YOU'LL BOTH BE IN THE WAY IF YOU TWO GO WITH THEM AND DON'T SHUT THE HELL UP! HOW ABOUT YOU GO DO SOMETHING ELSE AND LET MY DAD WORK!" The two screamed in terror before they started bowing repeatedly.

"We're sorry! We're sorry! We won't be in his way, Your Majesty!"

"Heh, that's better." Everyone just watched as they either laughed or stared in amazement, especially Rukia and Ukitake. No one but Kaien has ever made those two idiots stop arguing before. Ichigo ignored some of the stares as he made his way towards his friends. Getting out of their stupor, everyone began to leave to do their own thing.

Suddenly, Yuzu and Karin walked up and grabbed either side of Toshiro, startling him as he was just minding his own business. He looked between the two in confusion and a bit of panic. "Come on, Toshiro! Let's go and find the Game Room we passed yesterday!" Said Yuzu. The young captain looked surprised at this.

"What? But – "

"And don't even think about getting out of this." Karin warned before they rushed off towards the door with the two kids in Urahara's group following after them. Lieutenant Hinamori and Kira followed as well since they were assigned to the twins. The ones that were assigned to each of the teens stayed in the room with them waiting patiently with Rukia being the exception.

"IIIIIICCCCHHHHIIIIIIGGGGOOOOO! BAH!" Ichigo, knowing that this would happen eventually, held up his foot causing Keigo to smack face-first into it before collapsing to the floor. The Soul Reapers that were here were dumbfounded, not sure what to make of this. Though seeing as how the teens didn't even bat an eye clearly stated that this was a normal occurrence. Like a springboard, the boy got up and started whining and weeping to the other with a shoeprint on his face. "Oh, come on, Ichigo! It's bad enough that every time I greet you at school you abuse me and now, you're doing it here in front of all these Soul Reapers! How could you be so cruel?!"

"Normal people don't try to jump people every time they want to say 'Hello', Idiot." The other stated blandly. Keigo gasped in horror, and just when he was about to reply Tatsuki karate chopped him on the head.

"Enough with the drama, we're wasting minutes here. Unlike you all, I want to get a better look at this place before we come back here." The others shrugged.

"Sounds good, be nice to know the layout of this place and know what's here." The orange head looked over to Orihime who just stared at the ground. "Orihime." She looked up. "You okay with that?" she gave a hesitant smile and nodded. He nodded then turned to the Soul Reapers that were talking amongst themselves. "Yo, guys!" the Soul Reapers looked over. "We're gonna be exploring the place, and since you're our security detail you might as well come too." Tatsuki scoffed under her breath but didn't say anything, knowing that it was necessary. They nodded in assent.

"Rukia, would you like to come with us too?" Orihime asked and the raven smiled.

"Sure, sounds fun."

"ALRIGHT! MYSTERY PARTY!" Keigo cheered. He continued cheering until Ichigo bonked him on the head before the group left out the door. They checked in each and every door to see what was inside as they all made light conversation and properly introduced themselves.

"So, tell me about yourself, Lieutenant. Which Squad are you in?" Ichigo asked after opening a door that led out to a pool. Shuhei stood proudly at attention in the presence of the prince.

"I'm Shuhei Hisagi, lieutenant of Squad Nine. It's an honor to meet you, Sire."

Ichigo, pretty much used to the honorifics by now (with the occasional eyebrow twitch of course), nodded as he opened another door that led to a Zen garden. "What does Squad Nine primarily do?"

"Our main duty is to be the security force of the Seireitei, but on the side we're also the art and cultural department. We even own our own issued magazine."

"You guys have your own magazine?"

"Yes we do, Sire."

"Sweet! I wanna see it!" said Keigo as he got in the man's face excitedly popping out from out of nowhere. Shuhei stared in shock not sure how the teen snuck up on him like that. "Do you have the latest issue on ya?" Shuhei sweat-dropped at the weird boy.

"Um, yes? …I-I have one right here." He reached into his shihakushou and brought one out. Keigo practically snatched it out of his hands with a "Thanks!" before he ran back over to Mizuiro to show it to him. The man blinked, not sure just what happened. "Um…"

"Don't worry about him, he's a nut job. You get used to him."

"Right…"

"By the way, who's your captain? Is he the big guy in the mask that's with us?" the orange head asked, gesturing to the biggest Soul Reaper who stood diligently like a silent statue behind Chad.

"Um no, Your Majesty. That's Captain Komamura of Squad Seven. My captain is not actually here right now." said the raven in a slightly dejected voice. Ichigo's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, so you're one of the lieutenants without their captains here." The man nodded sadly. "Toshiro told me that there were two here that didn't have captains. Are you feeling alright without them here?" Shuhei looked a bit a surprised that someone as important as Ichigo was concerned about a regular lieutenant like him.

"I'm doing alright, considering the situation we're in. Captain Tosen mentored me enough to the point where I can run Squad Nine myself when he is not available. Though I can't say for Lieutenant Hinamori, of course. She practically idolizes her captain."

"That's a bit sad for her."

Shuhei shook his head. "Don't concern yourself too much about her, Sire. Momo can take care of herself; she wouldn't be made lieutenant if she wasn't capable." Ichigo shrugged.

"Alright then."

"Hey guys! Check it out!" everyone looked over to see Keigo and Mizuiro by a door looking excited. "We found the Game Room! Let's take a look see." The others just shrugged before going up to the door as it slid open. They all looked around to see they were in a large room that was filled with all sorts of games ranging from old board games to video games. There were some tables spread out everywhere and one lounging area in front of a 40" flat screen with different gaming consoles surrounding it on the other side of the room. One of the tables were actually occupied by Ichigo's sisters with the other two kids, Toshiro, Izuru, and Momo. They looked to be playing a game of Monopoly and judging by the two lieutenants faces they looked a bit confused.

Ichigo walked over to see how they were doing while the rest of the group either milled around to check out some of the games or followed him because they had to (Renji and Rangiku) or weren't interested enough. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Hi Ichigo! Hi Uryu!" Yuzu greeted while Karin nodded.

"Hey, Toshiro."

Toshiro nodded as well. "Your Highnesses." The teen narrowed his eyes at him. "I-I mean Ichigo. Uryu." Izuru and Momo stared at him stunned.

"Wow Toshiro, not only are you allowed to call the princesses by their names, but you're also allowed to call both the princes by their names too?!" Momo exclaimed. Rangiku, Renji and Rukia snickered under their breaths while Toshiro stared blankly at her.

"I told you before, I was given permission by both the princes and princesses. And how many times do I have to tell you to address me as 'Captain Hitsugaya'?"

"And who are you guys?" the teen inquired. The two lieutenants tensed at being addressed before immediately getting to their feet at attention and bowed, nearly knocking over their game much to the small redheaded boy's chagrin.

Momo blushed in embarrassment as she stuttered out her response. "M-my apologies, M-My Lieges. I sh-should've introduced myself immediately once you and Prince Uryu came into the room! I-I-It won't happen again!"

"As should I, Sires! I am deeply ashamed of my actions!" both Ichigo and Uryu sweat-dropped at the overdramatic behaviors feeling uncomfortable while Rangiku, Renji and Rukia were having a ball as they laughed to the side.

"Uh, it's…alright, I guess? Really there's no need to be so formal with us; we don't really care. Right Uryu?"

The other adjusted his he glasses. "Of course not, there's no need to worry over something trivial such as formalities. All we asked for were your names."

"I told you that there was nothing to worry about, you two." Said Toshiro as he rolled the dice. The two sighed in relief as they stood back up.

"My name is Lieutenant Momo Hinamori of Squad Five. I'm also Captain Hitsugaya's childhood friend and his adopted sister. It's nice to meet you, Your Graces."

"Oh, so you're the other lieutenant without their captains." Said Ichigo. She nodded dejectedly. "Toshiro told me a bit about you. Don't worry, I'm sure after this you'll see your captain soon." She nodded with a small smile.

"I am Izuru Kira, lieutenant of Squad Three. It's an honor to meet you both, Sires."

"Nice to meet ya."

"Great, we're all friends here. Now sit down already, it's your turn!" the redheaded boy rudely said. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, not liking his rude attitude.

"Hey, kid."

Jinta glared. "What do you want?"

"What's your name?"

"What's it to ya?" Karin sighed in annoyance as she took the dice.

"Just tell him your name already; it can't hurt." He glared at her.

"Don't tell me what to do, Tomboy! I don't care if he is your brother or a prince!"

"Hey!" Ichigo reached out and pinched the boy harshly on the cheek, causing him to yelp. "Don't talk to my sister like that, ya little brat! Apologize, right now!"

"Ow! Let go of me, ya Weirdo!" Ichigo tugged harder while everyone just watched.

"Jinta, I think it's best if you do what he says." Ururu meekly said.

"Ow! Fine! I'm sorry!" Karin rolled her eyes as the teen let go.

"That's better, now what's your name?" the boy glared as he rubbed his cheek.

"…Jinta Hanakari." He grumbled out.

"See, now was that so hard?" Jinta pulled his eyelid down and stuck his tongue out. Ichigo flicked his tongue for that.

"Ow!" the orange head rolled his eyes and turned to the little girl with a gentle smile.

"And what about you?" Ururu nervously looked up at him.

"I'm Ururu Tsumugiya. It's nice to meet you." She replied.

"Nice to meet you, too." He looked over to Toshiro who was concentrating on the game. "So, Toshiro, my sisters helping you relaxing?" the young captain smiled pleasantly.

"Yes, it's the most relaxed I've been in years. Yuzu and Karin have basically made it their mission for me to have 'fun'."

"That's good, you need it. So, who's winning?"

"We've sort of just started. Can you believe these three have never played Monopoly before?" inquired Karin.

"The rules are a little confusing." Said Momo and pointed at one of the properties her piece landed on. "Do I buy this property, or do I pay you for it since you own it, Your Highness."

"You pay me." She answered and Momo sighed as she handed over the play money. Karin glanced blandly at her brother and raised a brow. "As you can see, it's a work in-progress in order to have fun."

"Though Toshiro is doing pretty good for his first time playing. He's like a pro!" Yuzu complimented with a big smile. Said Soul Reaper shrugged.

"It's not that hard to play once you understand the rules."

Ichigo smiled as he ruffled his hair. "Hey, that's great." Toshiro just blushed slightly with a small smile, not minding one bit. Izuru and Momo just gaped in shock at the sight. Just as Ichigo dropped his hand, Rangiku suddenly glamped her captain catching everyone but the lieutenants and Rukia by surprise.

"Aww, Captain! You're making friends already!" Toshiro growled under his breath as he tried to get out of her arms with an embarrassed flush.

"Get off of me, Rangiku! I'm trying to concentrate here!" the strawberry blonde pouted as she consented.

"Oh, alright. You don't have to be so mean about it." she whined.

"I wouldn't have to be if you didn't try to suffocate me all the time or do your share of the workload back at home instead of drinking all the time!" Ichigo and his family as well as the two kids sweat-dropped. From the Soul Reapers' expressions this happened a lot. Shiro on the other hand was a different story.

 **'Ohh, I wouldn't mind her trying to suffocate me like that…'** Ichigo blushed at the perverted comment.

 _'Quiet you!'_ Shiro cackled in amusement. Ichigo internally groaned. _'Great, of all the Zanpakuto spirits I get the perverted one.'_

"Hey, Kid. Whose Big Boobs here and why is she calling you 'Captain'?" Ichigo was about to smack the kid but Rangiku ignored it.

"Hi, I'm Rangiku Matsumoto! I'm Toshiro's lieutenant." She replied brightly. Jinta stared at her before bursting into guffaws.

"No way is this kid a captain, and you're just an old lady!" suddenly, the room got darker as everyone backed away slightly. Rangiku's eyebrow twitched as she dawned a scary look. Jinta stopped laughing as he suddenly paled.

"'Old…lady'?" Jinta gulped before his ear got tugged painfully by the enraged woman.

"OW! Not the ear too!"

"Now look here, Kid. That kind of attitude might be ok back home, but I won't stand for it here and I won't hesitate to put you over my knee in front of everyone. You're not gonna make any more friends with that sort of behavior and you do not under any circumstances call a woman old, do you understand me?"

"Yes, okay! I'm sorry! I won't call you old again!" he cried out desperately. She let go.

"Good." Jinta rubbed his red ear while everyone just stood around awkwardly.

"Okay…well you guys have fun. We're gonna go back to exploring." His sisters said their goodbyes while the others nodded, bowed, or scoffed at him before the small group took their leave.


End file.
